No More Broken Promises
by bloodredcherries
Summary: Steven and Billie find themselves expecting twins; Jessica develops some maturity; Elizabeth runs away to Denver; Alice has another breakdown. Canon to SVU 19-miscarriage does not occur
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"MOM, how could you listen to HIM?"

Billie Winkler let out a groan, burying herself under the blankets in a futile attempt to drown out Jessica's screeching. It was really too early in the morning for this. Couldn't Jessica and Alice wait until it was daytime to fight? Please? Just once?

"Jessica, darling, Michael raised a good point!"  
>"No he didn't! I did not impulsively marry him!"<p>

Michael McAllery? He and Alice were talking? About Jessica?

"Jessica, dear, Michael was just saying-"  
>"I did not have to get married, Mother! How dare you im-"<br>"Jessica! Billie is asleep upstairs! She can hear you! Shut up!"  
>"But, Mom, you've got this the wrong way around. You can't say that the same thing that happened between Mike and me will happen between Steven and her!"<br>"Jessica, humor me. Michael says that plenty of couples have children and then get married-"  
>"But I wanna design the bridesmaids' dresses! Billie said I could!"<p>

Though she'd almost fallen back asleep, she was still awake enough to have heard Alice making a comment about her and Steven maybe, just maybe, not having to get married quite yet. And she sort of liked that thought. She liked the thought of at least some of the stress being taken away. She liked the thought of not having to pretend to like Jessica's melon bridesmaids' dresses. She liked the idea of focusing on being a mom. And, really, she really liked the idea of being able to sleep in the same bed as Steven again. She missed waking up snuggled up beside him.

"Jessica, shut up! Billie and Elizabeth are sleeping!"

Actually, this was just so entertaining to Billie that she was willing to stay awake for it.

"But IT'S NOT FAIR! IT'S NOT FAIR I WANTED TO PLAN A WEDDING!"  
>"Jessica! Young lady, go to your room!"<p>

She could hear Jessica thudding up the stairs and she burrowed down under the blankets again, still tired.

"LIZZIE! WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Liz blindly chuck a throw pillow at her extremely irritating twin sister. She tried not to smirk, praying that she wasn't carrying twins. She just couldn't handle that thought.

"Jessica, clearly Billie and I were trying to sleep."  
>"Billie's mean. Mom says that she-"<br>"I heard, Jessica."  
>"You did?<br>"Jessica, you woke the whole house up!"  
>"Did not!"<br>"Yes, you did. I'm pretty sure the whole neighborhood heard you. Now doesn't Mom want you to think about what you've done?"  
>Jessica pouted.<br>"Stupid dumb Mom being on stupid dumb Billie's side."  
>"Jess! She's right there! Leave her alone!"<br>"Fine. Whatever, Liz."

She watched Jessica leave, and she sighed, relieved. Alice was reconsidering the hasty wedding, which made her feel better about the entire situation. She really couldn't wait to tell Steven. Although, he'd probably already heard. The fight had been quite loud. She wanted to be happy again, and not all worked up over a wedding, because she knew that stress could harm the baby. And she didn't want that. She had to admit that she was kind of excited about being pregnant. And being a mom. And she still wanted to be a wife. But not if everyone was going to make a big deal about it. Right now, she just wanted to go sleep in the same bed as her fiancé, without getting yelled at. That would be nice. And, she supposed, possible, since technically it was morning.

She'd just never thought Jessica would get into a screaming match with Alice at 6 o'clock in the morning. And, really, she rather liked it. She could go into Steven's room and sleep with him, and Alice really couldn't complain. After all, it was "morning". And, really, she was already pregnant, so she supposed it didn't _really_ matter. So, still feeling slightly rebellious, she slipped out of bed and walked down the hall to his bedroom, clad only in one of his old t-shirts.

"Steven? Can I come in?"

Without waiting for an answer, she slipped into his room and climbed in to bed beside him. She kissed him on the cheek.

"Why are you…did Jessica wake you?"  
>"Yeah. And I came in here. Because I missed waking up beside you."<br>"Yeah. I know. I did too. I think Mike talked to my mother…"  
>"Mhm. And I think she's given the crazies to Jessica. Your mother seemed to see sense!"<p>

Steven sat up beside her, rubbing circles on the small of her back. She enjoyed that.

"That was shocking."  
>"Steven! That's not nice."<br>"I mean, I want to marry you. I do. I just think that we should-"  
>"Wait a bit?"<br>"Yes."  
>"I agree."<p>

And, she did. She just wanted to focus on undoing the damage that she'd done to their relationship, the little baby they were going to have, and trying her best to stay in school. They didn't have to be married to do that.

"You do?"

She nodded, and she noticed that he'd covered her hand with his. She'd missed this, you know, being happy around him. She'd missed it just being the two of them, together, just talking without any fights. That was mostly her fault, she had to admit.

"Do you want to come with me to my appointment? I'm making another one, and I'd like you to be there. You never know, we might be able to see the baby."  
>"Really? You want me there? That'd be great!"<br>"Of course I do. You're my fiancé, after all. And you're the baby's daddy."  
>"Okay. I'd like that."<p>

Steven was grinning at her now and she felt guilty, again, for shutting him out over the previous couple weeks. He was so happy just to be asked if he wanted to go with her, and well, she had been so stupid. So stupid and hormonal and oblivious and stupid. He kissed her, again, gently stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry, Steven."  
>"It's okay. We cool?"<br>"Mhm. I-I wanna be a mom, Steven. I don't wanna have an abortion, or give the baby up for adoption. I don't. I wanna marry you, too, honey. I want to have your baby and be your wife and I'm so sorry!"

She couldn't help it. She started to cry, and she let him pull her close, and she sobbed into his chest as they rocked back and forth. She just wanted to go home. But, she didn't, 'cause Chas was probably skulking around, looking for her, and she didn't want to see him. He just made her feel worse. Like she was stupid for wanting to have a baby with Steven.

"You okay now?"  
>"I think so. I'm sorry, Steven. I got your shirt all wet."<br>"It's okay. You sure you're alright?"  
>"Yeah. I just want to stay here for a while, okay?"<br>"Of course. You feeling okay?"  
>"Yeah. I've been feeling better lately. I've been less stressed-hard as that may be to believe."<br>"You've been less stressed? Here? With Jessica and my mother?"  
>"Yeah. I dunno. It's nice to be around people who want me to have the baby."<p>

She absentmindedly rubbed her abdomen, the action reassuring her that the baby was in there.

"What do you mean?"  
>"You were right about Chas, I think. He's starting to sketch me out a bit. Do you want to feel?"<br>"Do you want me to do anything about it? And, yeah, of course I do."  
>"No, Steven, it's fine. I'll let you know, okay? Thanks, though."<p>

Right now, she's happy just to spoon with him, the both of them feeling her belly, even though there isn't anything to feel yet. And even though Tom Watts is snoring loudly on the air mattress on his bedroom floor, so they couldn't do anything if they wanted to. And she kind of wants to do things. She kind of wants to have sex in his childhood bedroom, just because they can, but she's not sure if it's safe, and she doesn't want to do it in front of Tom. Especially with Alice and Jessica storming about.

"The morning sickness has gotten better?"  
>"Yeah. A lot, actually. Thanks for asking."<br>"You're my girl. Even when you're moody."

She's not moody, at least not right now. She's just pregnant and exhausted and she just wants their cuddle to turn into a lie-in.

"Thanks. I think."

"I can't believe you would tell my mother those lies, Mike! Now she wants to call off the entire wedding, because of you! She thinks you were right! My mother!"

Mike had recently developed an ability to ignore Jessica when she kvetched at him. And, indeed, that was what he was doing. It worked perfectly. She got to scream and rant and rave, and he didn't have to listen. Especially since he was right about this.

"Jess. I just told your mother what I thought about this situation. You only want Billie and Steven to get married so you can design the dresses."  
>"So?"<br>"Jess, don't you think that's a little selfish?"

Really, even he realised that this was fruitless, as talking to his ex-wife tended to be.

"Be quiet. Meaniehead."  
>"Real mature, Jess."<br>"It's not fair! Mom said I could! She said we could have a wedding!"  
>"You only want them to get married so you can have a party!"<br>"That's not true! I want them to get married so I can design the dresses!"

Mike could hear Billie snickering from the kitchen, and he wanted to sigh with relief. He supposed it was good that she could laugh about Jessica's antics, after all. Just a week ago, she'd been wandering around as if she had her own personal storm cloud. He was glad that she seemed happy again, especially if it was at Jessica's expense. Since his ex-wife deserved it.

Billie walked in, eating a pudding cup.

"Hey, Jess. How was being sent to your room this morning? Like you were five? Was it helpful to think about what you did?"  
>"Shut up, Billie. You snuck in with Steven."<br>"No I didn't. I'm allowed to be in his room during the day. Your mother said. That's a rule."  
>"Not at six in the morning!"<p>

He noticed that Billie looked quite pleased with herself, and whether it was because she'd gotten past one of the Wakefields' rules or because Mrs. Wakefield hadn't had a heart attack at the fact that her grandchild was essentially having chocolate pudding for breakfast. Although that was because she was in the garden with Ned, explaining the concept of "not getting married yet" to him. He suspected that that wasn't going well.

"You're a hypocrite! You've been sneaking out of the house to meet Mike!"  
>"But that rule's in place for a reason! So no one does the nasty and ends up pregnant! Oh."<br>"Yes, thank you, Jessica. So no one "ends up pregnant". And what am I?"

Jessica looked rather confused by Billie's question, and Mike could barely restrain his laughter.

"I dunno."  
>"I'm pregnant, Jessica. Duh."<br>"You're just mean."  
>"Oh, whatever, Jess. Hey, Mike. Thanks for talking to Alice. How'd you know that I was pregnant?"<p>

Oh, no. He cleared his throat, nodding in Jessica's direction. Billie's eyes narrowed, and she let out a sigh.

"Jessica told you?"  
>"Uh-huh. She said she was going to be an auntie and that she wasn't supposed to tell people-"<p>

Billie shot Jessica the dirtiest look he'd ever seen her give to someone.

"Jessica!"  
>"What? I'm not going to tell anyone else, don't worry."<br>"You shouldn't have told anyone to begin with! No offense, Mike."

Really, he wasn't offended at all. In fact, this sort of amused him. Actually, it amused him a lot, not that he'd admit that to either Billie or Jessica. Billie, because she was pregnant and already pissed off, and Jessica because she was Jessica. He felt that said it all. When Billie was in a better mood, he'd let her in on the little bet he'd made to get Jessica to shut up.

He had a feeling everyone at the fashion show would enjoy Jessica's…outfit.

This would be good.

***

"I still can't believe Mom gave up. What did you say to her?"  
>"I didn't. Mike did. And then Jessica caused a major scene while you were out on your run."<br>"A major scene? How so?"

Steven, fresh out of the shower, hugged Billie tightly, still slightly flummoxed by the fact that not only were they back in their own apartment, but his parents had agreed to hold off the wedding. And that was why he felt it was safe to hug his own fiancée while he was shirtless.

"Being Jessica. And this feels nice."  
>"I'm not hurting you, am I? You know, 'cause of the baby?"<br>"Oh. No, you're not. Don't worry."

He grinned at her.

"I'm sorry for pressuring you. Okay? I didn't mean to. Okay?"  
>"It's fine. I want the baby."<br>"I know. But I still feel bad-"  
>"Don't. I was being stupid."<p>

He didn't want her to feel that way, like her opinion didn't matter to him, because it wasn't true. At all. If she'd-If she'd wanted an…abortion, he would've supported her. And he would've supported her had she wanted to give the baby up for adoption. He really would've. But, this, this was great. She wanted their baby after all. He cupped her chin with his hands, kissing her softly.

"You weren't being stupid, babe. You weren't. I'd have supported you. No matter what. Okay? 'Cause you're my girl and I love you. You're always gonna be my girl. I promise. It doesn't matter to me if you're my wife or not. Okay? Just as long as we're together. That's all I want. Okay?"  
>"Okay. Thanks, Steven. I mean, I do want to marry you, I do, it's just too soon, you know? It's just too much for me to handle right now. And stress isn't good for the baby."<br>"I know. I wanted to have kids with you. Even before we got you pregnant."

He winked at her and she snorted, kissing him again.

"I know. I wanted this too, Steven. I just wasn't expecting to get pregnant by accident. You know what I mean?"

She took his hand and placed it on her abdomen, which was still mostly flat. Part of him had expected her pregnancy to be more noticeable, but he supposed it was too soon. He couldn't wait until people were able to tell just by looking at her. He wanted to be able to tell.

"I know. I get it. I do. But we're in this together, okay? I'll never leave you, okay?"  
>"Do you pinky promise?"<p>

She looked so innocent, so fragile, so breakable at that moment, so he hooked pinkies with her.

"Yeah. I pinky promise."

She giggled, kissing him again.

"Did you hear that, baby? Daddy pinky promised he'd never leave. Everyone knows you can't break a pinky promise."

Was she…talking to the baby? She'd never done that before, but he had to admit it was possibly one of the cutest things he'd ever seen. Or, heard, he guessed.

"You do that? Talk to the baby and stuff?"  
>"Yeah. Sometimes."<br>"That's awesome, babe."

He meant it, too. This was awesome. It really, really was.

***

Elizabeth Wakefield had gone to the old playground that had been her favorite when she was a kid, soon after Billie and Steven had left. She just needed a little break from all this. The wedding. The non-wedding. The news that she was going to be an aunt. The fact that she had somehow found herself engaged. The fact that Jessica was fighting with everyone, including poor Prince Albert! She knew that no one would think to look for her at the old playground. In fact, she doubted very much that anyone knew she was gone. Billie and Steven were lucky. They got to go home. Because supposedly "Billie needed her rest".

Yeah, right.

"Liz? What are you doing here?"

She looked up, in the direction of the voice, and saw her ex-boyfriend, Todd Wilkins, staring quizzically at her. She shrugged, and she let out a heavy sigh.

"I just needed to get away from it all."  
>"Away from what?"<br>"Just-things, Todd. Billie and Steven are engaged."

She certainly wasn't going to tell him why.

"I know."  
>"You do? How?"<br>"Steven told me. He said that he and Billie were engaged. We ran into each other on campus a few days ago."  
>"Oh."<p>

Did he know about Billie being pregnant? Had Steven told him that, too?

"Yeah. What's the matter? You seem kinda down."

Todd sat on the swing beside her as she sighed, again.

"Nothing's the matter, Todd. What else did Steven say?"  
>"He said that he was trying to graduate early-that he was interning at your father's office this summer."<br>"That's all?"  
>"Yeah. He had this huge grin on his face, though. Like he was really happy about something. But he wouldn't tell me what."<p>

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She supposed it was a good thing that her brother was happy about the baby, but did he have to be quite so happy that even Todd noticed something was up?

"I'm applying for a writing scholarship. In Denver."  
>"You are? That's great, Liz!"<p>

It felt good to tell someone, even if it was just Todd.

"Yeah. I want to transfer there. But things have changed."  
>"Like what?"<br>"Steven and Billie are engaged."  
>"So? You can still go."<p>

Wow. Todd really had no idea that Billie was pregnant. And that she felt kind of weird just transferring out of the blue, especially as she was going to be an aunt. And that she had a suspicion that Jessica would need more minding around the baby then the baby would. And that she suspected that someone was going to have a nervous breakdown-and she didn't know who.

"It's complicated."  
>"Huh?"<br>"Why Steven and Billie are engaged. It's complicated."  
>"Oh."<p>

She shot him a meaningful look and a look of recognition came over his face.

"Billie's pregnant? Really, Liz?"  
>"I didn't tell you! Don't tell Steven I told you!"<p>

Oh, she'd promised Steven she wouldn't tell. She'd promised.

"I won't, Liz. You can trust me. He's really excited about it. You can tell."  
>"I know."<br>"They can handle it. And go to Denver. You can come back to visit and stuff like that."  
>"I know. I don't even know if I was accepted yet. I don't know what to do, Todd. And Tom's no help."<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

"Thanks for letting me sleep."  
>"No problem, baby momma. You had a nice nap?"<br>"Mhm. I'm almost awake enough to tackle the economics paper."  
>"You want me to help you?"<p>

A couple weeks had passed since the date that she was supposed to have married Steven, and finals were approaching. She'd decided to stay with the economics major, and that decision was at least partly based on the fact that Chas had become a right jerk, ever since word-via Jessica, with her blessing, got around the campus that Billie was three months pregnant. (She'd figured that her almost sister-in-law was bound to tell people anyways).

"Yeah! Can you?"

Steven made economics more interesting, and right now she had a feeling she'd need the interestingness to stop her from falling asleep in the middle of writing the stupid essay that was in lieu of a final exam. She sat on the couch beside him, grabbing her computer from the side table. She'd tried to start the paper about ten times. It hadn't gone well. Ever since her morning sickness had mostly tapered off she found herself exhausted at the oddest times.

"Of course. Come on. You cuddle up with me and we'll get started."  
>"Okay. I love you, Steven."<br>"I love you too."

She did indeed cuddle up against him, and he covered her slightly swollen abdomen with one of his hands. Yes, she'd finally begun to show, just enough to really remind her that the pregnancy wasn't just a figment of her imagination. They had a bunch of pictures too. She liked to look at them, and she knew Steven carried one of them in his wallet.

"The paper's supposed to be on intellect economics. Whatever that is."  
>"You sound excited."<br>"It's just boring, Steven. I don't understand it-probably because this is the first semester we haven't had it together and I didn't understand it without you."  
>"Well, now you and the baby get to go to economics together. So it's almost like me being there."<br>"Not quite. Steven, I miss being in class together. It's my fault. I picked up music again and ruined it."  
>"Maybe we'll have classes together next semester. That way economics<br>will be less boring for you."

They kissed, and he tickled her belly. She giggled, playfully brushing his hand away. She needed to focus. She needed to focus so that she could pass the class and be in classes with Steven for their last semester in school together.

But right then and now, she needed to just close her eyes for a few minutes. Just because he was warm and comfy.

"Billie? Wake up, sweetie."  
>"Huh? What happened?"<p>

She knew what had happened. She had fallen asleep. Again. While working on the stupid paper. Again. At least he didn't seem too upset.

"Our baby makes you one sleepy lady, doesn't it?"  
>"Don't call the baby an 'it', Steven. That's not very nice."<br>"Sorry. I did most of it for you."  
>"Huh? My final?"<br>"Yeah. I didn't want to wake you up-you looked kinda cute all pressed against me and you were doing the cute little snoring thing and I knew that you needed a nap more then you needed to write a 7-12 page paper so I did it for you."  
>"Oh, thank you. And I don't snore."<br>"You do-a little bit. Just a little."  
>"I'm not yelling at you for saying that because you did my final."<br>"Aw, you know I don't mean it."  
>"I know. Sorry I fell asleep."<br>"It's okay. The topic wasn't that interesting. And I enjoy that class."

Billie sat up, taking the computer from him and setting it down on the table.

"I hope we have class together next semester-you can carry my books and stuff like that."

Actually, now that she'd thought about it, she'd be cutting it kind of close with next semester's finals and the baby being born.

"Of course. And you can carry our baby."  
>"And try not to give birth during our exams."<p>

He chuckled, giving her a reassuring smile.

"You don't know-you might get a free pass on them if that happens."

***

"Elizabeth, I can't believe you sprung this on us like this. You can't be serious!"  
>"It's a great program, Mom. It'll really help further my journalism skills!"<br>"Elizabeth, think! Your brother is going to be a father-"  
>"So?"<br>"Elizabeth, have some common sense. You can't go wandering off to Denver on some sort of scholarship. We'll need you here."  
>"Why?"<br>"Because, you'll need to help Billie and Steven with the baby."  
>"Jessica will be here!"<br>"You and I both know that that's a disaster waiting to happen."

And Elizabeth and her mother did indeed both know that. That still didn't change the fact that Elizabeth really really really wanted to go to Denver. Whether Billie was pregnant or not. And, yes, she knew she was being somewhat selfish. She just didn't really care. For once, she wanted to do something for herself.

"Mom, can you listen? Please?"  
>"Fine."<br>"I've wanted to go to Denver for a while, Mom. Since before Billie got pregnant. And I think I should apply, Mom. I need to."  
>"Can't you just stay here?"<br>"Mom."  
>"Just to talk sense into Jessica! She'll get all daft once you're gone!"<br>Elizabeth was pretty sure that that wasn't how you used the word daft, but, again, her mother did have the fundamental point correct.  
>"Now, Mom. Surely Jessica can survive without me for a semester."<br>"Only a semester?"  
>"Yes-only a semester. And then I'll come back."<br>"Well. Okay. I guess you can go."  
>She breathed a sigh of relief.<br>"What are you going to do now, Mom? Going to work?"  
>"No. I have some cleaning to do."<p>

The entire house looked spotless. Elizabeth sighed. Not again!

***

"Elizabeth! Do you have any idea what time it is? Billie and I were about to have dinner!"

Steven took note of the scowl his saner sister shot him.

"Mom says that I can only go to Denver if it's okay with the two of you."  
>"Huh?"<br>"She said I have to ask you two 'because Billie's pregnant and might need my help'."

Steven sighed, running a hand through his hair. Of course their mother would say something along those lines, and of course Elizabeth would try to heed her. God, if only his middle sister had learned to ignore their parents-their mother especially-when she went and did something daft.

"Come in, I guess. You know that you can ignore her, right?"  
>"Billie?"<br>"No! Mom! She's gone off the meds again. She says that now that things are 'back to normal' she doesn't need them any longer."

His sister shot him a confused, vaguely horrified, look.

"Back to normal? Back to normal? Steve, what are you talking about? Jessica and I have been wanted for murder! William White was stalking me! I fell in love with another vampire! Lila Fowler almost died! How on earth are these things normal? Hello, you accidentally shot Mike! Jessica went out with a professor, and he ended up driving off a cliff! Jessica didn't tell our parents when she GOT MARRIED! (Though, actually, that's typical for her.) And now you've gotten Billie pregnant! How is that normal? How, Steven, how? How can Mom possibly think things are normal?"  
>"Well, in her defense, you did spend the past four years at SVH getting involved in the oddest situations! Hello, do you remember when you became Au Pairs in France? Or when you nearly got killed riding on Todd's motorcycle! You thought you met a werewolf! You two had identical evil twins! You almost got killed like a million times! I'd say me having a baby with my fiancée is the most normal thing about us all!"<p>

Speaking of Billie, she'd padded out from the kitchen, a cup of tonic in one hand and a bemused expression on her face.

"What's the matter?"

She kissed him on the cheek, and she gave Liz a hug, which his sister awkwardly returned.

"We were just discussing how my mother's gone round the twist. Again. She's being daft in regards to Elizabeth going to Denver! Do you mind if Liz takes a semester to do some writing program at Denver?"  
>"No. Why would I? And really, that's not nice to say that your mother's gone round the twist. Again. What happened this time?"<br>"Mom's gone off the medication. She says that she's fine now."  
>"What? Your mother? Didn't she have a nervous breakdown just last year?"<br>"Yeah. Because the twins were rowing nonstop and she'd done away with the Valiums cold turkey. I told Dad to keep an eye on her!"  
>"And then she kept telling us about some bizarre events that she claimed happened during the twins' senior year! Like moving into the Fowlers, and Jessica becoming the school's whore, and Todd playing football, and you being a frat boy! What on earth does she think she's playing at going off her meds?"<br>"I don't know! And now she's saying Liz can't go to Denver because we might need her help with the baby! But that makes no sense at all! You're due mid-December! She'd be done!"

Not that he'd really blame Elizabeth for staying in Denver, mind you.

He really wouldn't.

"So you're fine with it? I can go?"  
>"Go ahead. I can't believe I have to give you permission. Do you want to stay for dinner? It's pasta with meatballs and garlic bread. Come on, I'll get you something to drink. Do you want some tonic? We've got Coke."<br>"Sure, if you don't mind."  
>"Oh, Liz, it's fine. We can talk about Denver, if you want. I'd like to hear about it."<p>

He mouthed a thank you to her, and he followed her and Elizabeth into the kitchen, where dinner was almost ready. God, she really was amazing, especially towards his sisters. Well, Elizabeth more so than Jessica, but he couldn't really blame her for that. He grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and poured himself and Liz glasses of Coke.

"How are you, Billie? I mean, like, I dunno. How's the baby?"  
>"I'm fine, the baby's fine. Thanks for asking. It means a lot to me."<p>

He knew it did, and he knew how much it hurt her that her so called friends from the music department weren't even pretending to be happy for her. So if his sister's hesitant questions made her happy, he wasn't going to stop it. He was, however, entertaining some delicious thoughts about punching Chas into next week the next time they saw one another. But only if Billie gave him her blessings.

And maybe even if she didn't.

"Do you have any names picked out?"  
>"Oh, not yet. We haven't really discussed it. What's made you decide to apply for this program in Denver?"<p>

Elizabeth toyed with her fork and Steven set the plates of pasta down in front of his sister and fiancée, before taking a seat next to Billie.

"I just want to explore new things. SVU doesn't have a great print journalism program, and University of Denver does. I've been thinking about applying for a while. But I knew Mom would freak out. So I waited to tell her. And then after you got pregnant I was going to sod it all, because Mom was already freaked out-but Todd said I should give it a go. But, Steven, she was cleaning again!"  
>"Mom? Cleaning what? Oh…no. Again? Really?"<p>

Oh, for crying out loud, their mother had stopped taking everything! Everything! Even her pills for her OCD!

"Yes. You know how Mom gets when she's stressed. She likes to clean. Now, Steven, she also wanted me to let you know that she thinks there's an opening in the lifeguard thing Jess and I are doing. I said I'd tell you just so she'd stop muttering to herself. You're working at Dad's office, right?"  
>"Yes, Liz. What else did Mom do?"<br>"Oh, nothing much. I think she's worried about Jessica, to tell the truth."  
>"Oh, God, what now? What did she do? Is she dating a cop? Another professor? Did she drop out of school?"<br>"She's upset 'cause the fashion show didn't pan out. And because the Thetas are mad at her."

Steven sighed. Billie gave his leg a supportive squeeze, and he smiled gratefully at her.

"Is it twins?"  
>"Elizabeth, stop asking. We already showed you the scan."<p>

Neither of the twins had figured it out yet.

"Oh, okay. Can I feel it kick yet?"  
>"Not quite. A few more weeks. Okay. We'll have a beach day and come visit you lot."<br>"Okay. Sounds like a plan."

"It was awful, Steven. Chas and them wouldn't leave me alone and I wanted to run away and go cry in the bathroom but then the professor wouldn't have let me take the test and then I wouldn't have passed and then I'd be behind in my credits and-"  
>"Shush. It's over now. You went, and you did it, and I'm proud of you. Okay?"<br>"But it was awful, Steven. They hate me now, and I don't even know what I did. I wasn't even that serious a musician; really, changing my major wasn't even legitimate. And now they hate me because I'm pregnant."  
>"Ignore them. You don't need them."<br>"I know. I'm sorry I'm such a pregnant girl right now."  
>"Shush. Don't worry about it. It's okay to be upset."<br>"But I don't want to be! I'd rather be happy with you then miserable."  
>"I know. Do you want me to talk to Chas?"<br>"No. That's okay. You'd probably end up hitting him or something, and you've already been arrested once."  
>"You sure?"<br>"It's fine. I'm okay. Really, I am. Although it pisses me off when Chas and Mickey try to stare at my chest. That's your job. Don't worry, though. I'll never see them again. And no hitting, really. You'll only cause a scene. And your mother's already a bit-off. She called this morning, by the way."

Steven gave her a hug, slinging her backpack over his shoulder, and she let out a happy sigh, wanting nothing more than to be held forever. Or at least long enough to distract him whilst Chas et al walked past. Even though she was right pissed at them, she much preferred the _thought_ of them getting a taste of her fiancé's temper, than putting it into practice. Besides, he was just what she needed after such a long morning. Finally, all of her finals were done, and they could finally relax. Steven had finished yesterday, and she'd thought he was so lucky. They had a couple weeks together, just the two of them, before he started his job at the law firm, and she wanted to make the most out of it.

"My mom called? What did she want?"  
>"Oh, you know, the usual daft things. Claiming your sisters wanted us to be lifeguards with them, claiming I could lifeguard in my current condition, claiming that lifeguarding with the twins and their friends sounded fun. Want me to continue?"<br>"Nah. You don't need to."  
>"Oh, wait. The best part: she called Nina Harper 'Elizabeth's tan friend'."<p>

He started to laugh, and she joined in.

"That's hilarious. It's just priceless. Come on, let's go home."  
>"You want to?"<br>"Yeah. Just me and you. And our little baby. Maybe we could order something."

Ooh, yeah. That sounded great. She really wanted a Chinese all of a sudden, even though she knew it was a cliché pregnancy craving to have.

"Okay. Can it be Chinese?"  
>"Sure. It can be whatever you want."<p>

They walked in the direction of the commuters' parking lot, his hands covering her abdomen all the way. Steven loved to touch her body, even more than before she was pregnant, and she liked it a lot.

"Steven? Thank you."  
>"For what?"<br>"I dunno. Being happy we're having a baby. Rubbing my belly. Carrying my books."  
>"You're welcome."<p>

They kissed.

"Mmm. You know what I was thinking? I was thinking we sod going to see the twins this summer. Because I don't want Jessica making fun of me on the beach."

He kissed her again.

"Don't worry about it. She won't. You just concentrate on having a healthy baby, okay? You look beautiful. Especially with your cute little belly."  
>"Thanks. You really think that? That you think I've got a cute little belly?"<p>

He nodded, a light blush coloring his cheeks.

"Yeah. Especially right now. Besides, maybe a trip to the shore will be relaxing. Wouldn't that be nice?"  
>"Steven, I think the twins will be hanging around all the time prodding at my belly trying to make the baby move. Would you call that relaxing? I mean, I'll go, but…"<p>

She trailed off, sure that she'd felt something, but the feeling passed.

"What's the matter? You okay?"

She nodded.

"I thought that the baby moved, but it stopped. I guess I'm a little upset."  
>"Oh, honey…Don't be upset. The baby will kick again. Soon."<p>

He squeezed her shoulders supportively, and he opened the car door for her, helping her get in.

"I know. I'm just being silly again."  
>"Oh, no. You're excited. I want to feel the baby too. That's not silly. Come on, let's go home. We can have a lay out by the pool if you want. It's warm enough."<br>"I want to go swimming. Not just lay out. If that's okay with you."

***

"They won't stop fighting. It's annoying, Mike!"  
>"Elizabeth and Tom?"<br>"Yes! Oh, if it's not about why she won't wear the stupid pull tab he gave her it's about how she wants to go study in Denver or it's about how she quit WSVU or it's about how she refuses to go past second base or about how she's "abandoning the family" but really, Mike, there's nothing she can do. She can't change the fact that Billie's pregnant. She can't change the fact that Mom's losing it-again. She can't change the fact that Dad's oblivious, and she can't change the fact that I'm, as you know, kinda selfish. I want her to go, Mike. I want her to be happy."

Mike was stunned. Was Jessica actually being mature? His ex-wife? What was happening? Was she sick?

"Uh, Jess? Is anything the matter?"  
>"Nothing's the matter. Mike. I just wish that Liz would talk to Tom about this like a mature-don't you dare say anything-person."<p>

Mike was glad that he was having this conversation on the phone, instead of in person. That way Jessica wouldn't see his confused, "what the hell", expression.

"That's…nice."  
>What was he supposed to say?<br>"Mike, I have to go. Liz is crying again."

Okay, that had just been the oddest conversation he'd ever had with his ex-wife. She'd been compassionate. She'd been mature. She'd seemed to have developed some perspective. And she even was being sympathetic. He was pretty sure he'd witnessed a miracle. Err, heard one, at the very least. And what had she meant by "Mom's losing it-again"? He was quite stumped.

And Billie and Steven had apparently commandeered the complex's pool, which his apartment happened to overlook. Now that he was done talking to Jessica, he supposed he could go join them. Or at the very least stick his feet in.

So, ignoring the mail that had yet to be sorted, ignoring the fact that Val had left at least three messages, and ignoring the fact that he'd meant to go back to the garage for a bit, Mike decided to go to the pool, and have a bit of fun.

Besides, he totally wanted the dirt on Mrs. Wakefield.

"Steven, you won't believe what Jessica said to me!"  
>"Um, let me try. That you're jealous of her current boyfriend?"<br>"Nope. She said that she wants Liz to go to Denver, and that she's been selfish."

He could tell that neither of his friends believed him, and had he not heard it from her very mouth, he wouldn't have either. Billie was the first one to speak, from her position on top of an inflatable float.

"Jessica said what, Mike? That she was selfish?"  
>"Yeah. And that she was worried about Liz, and that Steven's mother is cracking up, and something about Liz being engaged with a pull tab ring. I don't really know."<br>"Jessica said that? Really, truly, honestly said that? Jessica? I mean, surely Tom isn't continuing on with that daft charade. He only did it because he thought they'd move on to the next level, if you get my drift."  
>"And the bit about Steven's mother?"<br>"Surely you know about Alice, Mike? How she's been a bit touched since that incident the twins' junior year? Last June, she had a bit of a breakdown and had to be hospitalized. She keeps toying with her meds."

Mike had most certainly not known that, although it did explain all the pill bottles lining the kitchen counter he'd tried to discreetly read.

"How are you? You feeling better? The baby doing okay?"  
>"Yeah. Thanks for asking."<p>

He didn't really think that she looked that much different. He could see that she'd gained a bit of weight, of course, but, he still couldn't tell immediately.

"Did you know Liz was planning to go to Denver?"  
>"Yeah. She came over and we had the world's most awkward conversation in which she tried to ignore the fact that I was pregnant and we had to give her permission to go to the program. Really, don't ask."<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Billie had had a feeling it had been a mistake to allow Alice and Ned to invite her parents to the Wakefields' pool party, an event that Alice claimed they held annually (when, in reality, they'd never held one before), and this belief had officially been completely proven. Her poor parents were chatting up one of Steven's childhood friends, and they both looked completely petrified by the crowd around them. And she really couldn't blame them. Who knew Alice and Ned knew all these people? Seriously! The Ritemans? The Howells-well, they were the Wakefields' next door neighbors, so they were understandable. But was it really needed to invite all of these complete strangers? Had Alice completely lost her mind?

"Billie, dear, Joe tells me that he and Steven were best friends since they were quite small."

She nodded politely, wishing desperately that her mother had found someone else to talk to. This was positively awful. It was a pool party, apparently in honor of the twins' summer jobs, and she suspected that Alice was intending to cash in on the wedding that hadn't been. Her own fiancé was standing with her father, chatting about something, most likely her and the baby.

Leaving her mother behind with Joe and Janet, she walked over to them, giving her father a hug before letting Steven wrap his arms around her. He placed his hands on her abdomen, rubbing it unselfconsciously. Her father looked slightly uncomfortable, but she really didn't care. Even though she knew that was sort of mean of her.

"Billie, dear, are we allowed to swim? Or shall I ask Alice and Ned?"

She had a feeling that Jessica and Elizabeth's friends had commandeered the pool, but she shrugged, not sure what to say.

"Go ask Alice. Okay, Dad?"

Much to her relief, her father walked away, towards the group that now included the entire Howell family, Ned and Alice, and her mother. She let out a heavy sigh.

"This is awful, Steven. They're mad at me because we didn't get married."

She wanted to cry, she really did, but she wasn't looking forward to causing a scene in front of everyone.

"They're not mad at you. Come on. Your dad was just asking me if we'd found out what we're having yet. They just don't know how to deal with all of this."  
>"He asked you? Really? Do you want to find out?"<br>"Yeah, he did. And yeah. I'd like to. But it's your decision. I'd be happy with a surprise, too."  
>"I want to know. Want to go swimming?"<br>"Nah. Not really. Their friends are annoying."

She grinned at him, touching her abdomen lightly.

"Well, it is their party."  
>"No. It's Mom's party. Jessica and Elizabeth haven't hung out with half these people since middle school. Ellen Riteman? She went to some Jewish boarding school their freshman year. Janet Howell? She's Lila's cousin, hard as that is to believe."<br>"Is that why Lila looks vaguely disgusted?"  
>"Probably. They don't get along."<p>

Lila was indeed glowering at Janet, who seemed oblivious to her cousin's simmering rage. She approached her and Steven.

"I cannot stand her. What on earth is wrong with your mother?"  
>"A lot of things? I don't know, Lila. I'm considering crushing the pills into her drink, just so she'll be normal for a few hours."<br>"Do you think it'll work? And seriously, Ellen Riteman? Was Alice a few years behind the curve?"  
>"This is the lady who's parading around wearing a ball gown. In her back yard."<p>

Billie turned to look, and indeed, Alice was wearing some ridiculous cream colored gown. That had a huge stain on the side, but she wasn't going to be the one to tell. Instead, she giggled, trying to at least be discreet about it.

"What has she spilled on it?"  
>"I don't know!"<br>"Is she drunk? How can she not notice that?"  
>"It's my mom, honey. She's a bit of a space cadet."<p>

***

"Billie? Can we talk?"  
>"Hmm? Yeah, about what?"<p>

Jessica had a suspicion Billie thought she was Elizabeth. After all, there was no sharp intake of breath, no look of horror on her face, just a simple agreement. She'd even continued paging through her magazine.

"It's me. Jessica."  
>"I know who it is. Elizabeth's off being all mopey because Tom dumped her. Please tell me she's gotten out of bed?"<br>"Only because I threatened to pull a twin switch and involve myself with Peter again. She bought it, full stop. Anyways, I came over to have a chat with you."

She sat at the table opposite her almost sister-in-law, who was still intently reading the magazine. Though the old Jessica would've been impatient and rude about it, she was trying to turn over a new leaf. She had to. She couldn't keep bobbing around being the same flighty sorority sister she'd been the past year. She had to prove she could handle Liz being gone, she just had to.

"What's up? Everything alright?"  
>"Yeah. I'm just a bit nervous about next semester. Being on my own and stuff like that."<br>"You're not on your own. You've got Steven and me. Don't worry about it."  
>"You'll be busy with the baby, though. And it's not the same. I'll miss having a twin."<br>"I know. I know it's not the same. Who are you rooming with? Isabella?"  
>"No. She still treats Mike like crap. It isn't right. He deserves better. I'm rooming with Alex, I think. I don't know. Maybe I'll just commute from home."<br>"No, don't do that. Stay on campus. You don't want to live with Ned and Alice."  
>"I know. It's just that-"<br>"What is it? Is everything okay?"  
>"It's nothing. Never mind."<br>"Okay. If you're sure. I've felt the baby move."  
>"You have?"<br>"Yeah. Just a bit, though."  
>"What's it like?"<br>"Feeling the baby? Right now, kind of like butterflies, you know? It's hard to explain."

Jessica realised with a start that Billie was starting to actually look pregnant, instead of just looking like she'd gained a bit of weight. She couldn't wait to be an aunt.

And she wasn't lying.

"Oh. You look nice."  
>"I do? Thanks, Jess, I really appreciate it. I like your earrings."<br>"Thanks. Are you happy?"  
>"About what?"<br>"Being pregnant. Sorry I told people before you wanted me to."  
>"Yeah, I'm happy. And, it's okay. You stopped, at least. And, honestly, why did you tell Todd Wilkins?"<br>"I didn't tell Todd!"

Oh, God no. She'd never waste a juicy secret on Todd Wilkins! Todd was boring. And he wanted to save the whales. Jessica didn't care much for whales. She preferred to save the dolphins. Just like the cheerleader in that TV show. Villains, was it?

"Then who did?"  
>"Elizabeth must have."<br>"Liz?"  
>"Yeah-she told me she ran into Todd the night you two left."<p>

***

"The twins causing trouble again?"  
>"Not the twins. Elizabeth. She's going out with Todd, who's technically still going out with Gin Yung, and she's just sent us a postcard saying she wants to have a "last hurrah" with some lifeguard named Ryan Taylor. I hate to even think of what she means."<br>"A "last hurrah"? Doesn't that usual imply that-"  
>"Yes, it usually does. Don't worry. Liz just wants to spend a romantic dawn watching the sun rise with him, drinking 'sour sprite'. That sounds oddly like champagne to me. You can read it, if you want. How was work?"<br>"Work was work. The same. Still pretty dull, but at least Dad's gone. He's got some case in New York."  
>"Case in New York?"<br>"That's what he said. He'll be gone for a month. A full month without Dad bugging me."  
>"You deserve it. Thank you for my flowers. And my chocolate. I really appreciated them."<br>"I just wanted to make you feel special. 'Cause you're my girl and all."  
>"And you're my man."<p>

Steven gave Billie a bear hug, gently rubbing the small of her back. There was nothing he liked more after a hard day interning at the firm then to come home to see his fiancée. Part of him still couldn't believe that they were engaged, let alone that she was carrying their child. So when she pressed up against him and he could feel their babies move, he grinned even more. He was a daddy. He wouldn't be able to physically be a daddy for five more months, but he was still technically a daddy.

"The babies kick a lot, huh?"  
>"Yeah. A bit more than you can feel, actually."<p>

He pouted playfully, releasing her so he could take off his suit jacket and hang up his briefcase. They had, after a long discussion, decided that it would be best for him to take the internship and for her to take a couple classes, instead of working. Somehow, the thought of his pregnant fiancée waiting tables had lost its allure, upon reflection. Instead, she was going to take a few classes, so they could maybe graduate together after all. And he liked that idea. A lot.

"I miss you, when I'm at work."  
>"I miss you when I'm in class."<br>"I miss you just being there, you know? I miss just being able to feel your belly whenever I want to."  
>"Aw. That's sweet. I miss you too."<br>"You do?"  
>"Of course. 'Specially when I fall asleep after class and you're not here to cuddle with me. I don't like to sleep without you."<br>"You've got our babies, though."  
>"I know. Sometimes I just want you to be there, though. So I'm not as lonely."<p>

He kissed her gently, pulling her close to him.

"You're lonely?"  
>"Sometimes. It depends."<br>"You can always call me, okay? I'll always answer, no matter what it is. And if I can't answer, I'll call you back. Okay?"  
>"Okay. Thanks. I made us dinner. It's almost ready."<br>"What is it?"  
>"Macaroni and cheese from a box. I was craving it earlier. So I made us some."<br>"I could've made it for you."  
>"I know. But I wanted to. What do you want to drink?"<br>"Coffee's fine. I can get it."

She rolled her eyes at him, handing him one of their coffee mugs.

"I want-"  
>"I know. I wish you'd let me do more."<br>"Steven, you work all day. I have two classes a day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and one class a day on Tuesday and Thursday. Let me help you. Just 'cause I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm so fragile I can't cook."  
>"I know. I can't help it, though."<br>"I know. Come on. Let's eat."  
>"It's just us. This is still kinda weird. Usually we have one other person in here. Like a twin or something."<br>"Everyone's gone. Even Mike. He's gone to LA."  
>"Why?"<br>"I don't know. Ooh, honey, feel. The babies are kicking again."

Steven pressed his hands against her abdomen, rewarded when he felt a sharp, sudden kick.

"They're our babies. They're our little babies"  
>"Yeah. Kinda cool, isn't it?"<p>

She smiled at him, kissing him lightly.

"Yeah. It's really cool."

_Ryan had to grip the edges of the table to keep from falling over. He couldn't help it. The sight of poor, long suffering Elizabeth, her sensitive little face scrunched up in concern, was too hilarious. He knew it should've been sad, but instead it seemed hysterically funny. "Where were you two days ago, Elizabeth?" he roared. "You're a little late now!"_

_He watched as the color drained from Elizabeth's face and her eyes widened into two round disks. "You're drunk!" she gasped, slumping against the wall._

_Elizabeth's dramatic cry set off a fresh round of laughter that Ryan could hardly take. He felt as if his stomach would rupture. "Stop it!" he croaked, tears streaming down his cheeks. "You're killing me!"  
>"Ryan, you've got to get ahold of yourself!" Elizabeth screeched, making a grab for the whiskey.<br>Ryan quickly snatched both the bottle and glass from her reach and set them down behind him. Some of the liquor had splattered on his hand, and he wiped it off on the front of his polo shirt._

_"You'll have to be quicker than that," he snarled, irritation replacing his amusement at Elizabeth's concern. He felt his lip curl into a mocking sneer. 'You see, Liz, it's all about hand-eye coordination," he said gravely. He brought the glass to his lips and gulped down a big swallow of whiskey. "See? Nothing to it." He slammed the glass back on the table and reached behind him for the bottle._

_Elizabeth shook her head, her bottom lip trembling. "How can you do this to yourself? Can't you see that it's wrong?"_

_Ryan snorted and twisted off the cap to the bottle. "Wrong, Elizabeth? Since when is having fun wrong? So I have a little to drink…so what? Everyone else does it."_

_Elizabeth wrapped her arms around herself and stared down at him, brow furrowing, eyes sharp.  
>Uh-oh, he though, stifling a giggle. Looks like there's a lecture on the way.<em>

_Elizabeth cleared her throat. "You're not like other people, Ryan. You've got a serious problem."_

_"No, Elizabeth," Ryan began, struggling to hold back his laughter. "You've got a serious problem! Maybe you should attend some meetings to deal with it. 'Hi, my name is Elizabeth Wakefield, and I'm serious.' Or better yet take a lesson or two from your sister. She knows how to enjoy herself."_

_"Ryan!" Elizabeth cried. "How can you twist my words like that? I'm trying to help you. You have a __special problem-a disease. Alcohol could kill you. And you're acting like it's a joke!"_

_Ryan rolled his eyes. It's time for Elizabeth to lighten up or leave, he thought. "The only problem I have with drinking is when goodie-goodies like you try to ruin my fun. You should try it some time. If anyone needs to relax, it's you. Here." Ryan filled the glass and shoved it in her face. "Go on," he urged. "This will cure your seriousness disease."_

_He watched as Elizabeth's face contorted, as if she was in pain. Her body heaved, and she burst into tears. "You were doing so well," she admonished him, "You'd been sober for so long. Since before I'd met you. I was proud of you. And now look at you-you're a drunk. And an obnoxious one, too. I can't believe you're ruining your life like this." She spun around and fled from his room, the door slamming behind her._

***

"Billie. I need to talk to you."  
>"I already heard, Liz. Your sister told me."<br>"I can't believe I dated an alcoholic! What was I thinking?"  
>"The same thing you always think. You and Todd had agreed to see other people during the summer, and you needed to find the exact opposite of Todd to fulfill some stupid need, and now you're feeling upset."<br>"I didn't see this at all!"  
>"Elizabeth. You don't expect me to believe that. Everyone knows you have a lust for bad boys."<br>"I do not!"  
>"Aw, come on, Liz. You don't think we all do it?"<br>"Absolutely not!"  
>"It's normal. Devon Whitelaw?"<br>"How did you know about him? How?"  
>"Your brother. And he had a fling with Lila. Mike and I had a flirting thing going on for a bit. And Jessica, Jessica's gone out with-"<br>"I am not like her! I'm going to Denver!"  
>"Oh, yeah, yeah, Denver. I'd forgotten. Did you tell Ned and Alice you got it?"<br>"They're in Australia. They've been planning the trip for a while."  
>"Where's Jessica?"<br>"Down at Mike's. Why?"  
>"I don't know. She's been rather nice to me, lately. Keeps asking about the baby."<p>

Billie knew that she was being quite petty, but she couldn't help it. She wanted Liz to pay attention to her, to the fact that she was pregnant, instead of just ignoring it. It wasn't completely obvious that she was, or anything. On both counts, mind you. And being ignored was starting to piss her off. She wanted Steven to come home, and she knew he would soon, and she wanted it to be now, so his sister would take a hint.

"You didn't come visit."  
>"We were going to, but then you called in tears demanding to be picked up. At some service station? And you flipped when Steven couldn't go get you?"<br>"He was being mean."  
>"No, Liz, I had a doctor's appointment. I'm sorry that was more important."<p>

Actually, no, she wasn't. But Elizabeth had pissed her off, yet again.

"Are you mad at me?"  
>"Oh, no. Not at all."<br>"Good."  
>"Liz."<br>"What?"  
>"Are you mad at me because I'm pregnant?"<br>"Nope."  
>"Are you sure?"<br>"I'm not mad at you. It's your life."

Much to her relief, the door suddenly opened and Steven walked in to the apartment. She jumped up and gave him a hug, squeezing him tightly. Elizabeth was driving her insane, she really was. The past hour of rehashing the stupid lifeguard story had been awful. They kissed, and she let out a sigh.

"What's wrong?"  
>"Nothing. I just missed you. Elizabeth is here."<br>"I missed you too. You feel okay?"  
>"Yeah."<p>

And she does, continuing the string of good days she's had since the twins left. She wants to continue to kiss him, especially as he rubs her belly, but they're not alone. And she really doesn't want her make out session turning into an interrogation. Ah, Denver. That sounded so nice. And Australia was nice too. Jessica, she could be distracted by being asked to go shopping. Yesterday, she'd gone grocery shopping for them. And had actually done it.

"Hey, Liz. Whatcha doing?"

Elizabeth just glared at them, sullenly paging through one of Billie's pregnancy magazines.

"She's apparently reading Pregnancy and Newborn. Haven't the faintest idea why."  
>"Why is she here?"<br>"I don't know! She wanted to cry on my shoulder about that idiot she dated. Oh, by the way, your beer is in the closet. In our room. Don't ask."  
>"Elizabeth again?"<br>"Yeah, she went on this tirade about how everyone who drinks is addicted."

He kept rubbing her belly, as they watched his sister in amusement, and she felt the baby move. It's been kicking more now, which she would've told Liz, had she even bothered to ask about how she was feeling or anything.

Even Jessica was excited, and Billie supposed it was a good thing she'd gotten pregnant, because she could just picture Jessica's daft schemes to get a little baby, and no, her getting pregnant wasn't the worst. Alice having a new one was.

"You don't even greet me, Steven. All you care about is her and the precious little baby."

Billie took offense to that.

"Liz. We talked about this, remember? Billie's my fiancée, she's the mother of our child, and I love her. Naturally my attention will turn towards her instead of you most of the time now. Jessica understood."  
>"I'm not Jessica. It's Jessica this and Jessica that. 'Jessica's not moving to Denver', 'Jessica's not too serious', 'Jessica asks me about the baby'. I'm sick of it! Why does everyone like her now?"<br>"Because our sister has matured. Somewhat."  
>"I'm more mature than she is!"<p>

Personally, Billie begged to differ.

"Liz. Behave. Or maybe you could just leave."  
>"Fine. Have it your way! I'll leave and never come back!"<p>

After Elizabeth slammed the door, Billie and Steven both breathed identical sighs of relief. She kissed him, softly, and he nuzzled her neck, unfortunately ingesting some of the concealer she'd slapped on to hide her hickey from Elizabeth. That was another conversation she didn't want to have.

"I gave you a hickey last night, didn't I?"  
>"No. This morning before you left."<br>"Oh yeah. That's right. Want to finish that?"  
>"You know she's gone downstairs to torture Mike and Jess, right?"<br>"Nah, she wouldn't do that."  
>"I wouldn't be so sure-"<p>

He cut her off with a kiss, and she kissed him back. Elizabeth be dammed, she was going to get some.


	4. Chapter 4

Steven had truly wanted to marry Billie. Even before she'd gotten pregnant, he'd wanted to make her his wife-even though he knew they hadn't been ready. It had just been a nice thought, one that appealed to his traditional side. Not because they "had to", but because she deserved it. Now it wasn't going to happen, knowing his luck.

"Hey. Good morning."  
>"Hey."<br>"You look beautiful."  
>"Thanks."<p>

She snuggled closer to him, taking his hands and placing them on her abdomen.

"Billie?"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Will you marry me? Not now, if you don't want to-"  
>"Steven. I already said yes. Twice. Of course I want to marry you."<p>

She kissed him and he grinned, relieved that she really did want to marry him. That she wanted to be his wife.

"Sorry."  
>"Don't be. It's okay. It's very sweet of you."<p>

They kissed again, and he felt the babies move. The sudden movement startled him, but in a good way. That was their babies. That was their babies.

"Wow."  
>"You felt it?"<br>"Yeah! I guess the babies want a wedding."  
>"You think so? I want a wedding, too. But not an Alice extravaganza."<br>"I don't either. Don't worry about it."  
>"You don't? But she's your mother!"<br>"And she's lost it. And she's in Australia. For over a month."  
>"Mmm. So I suppose we're in charge of the twins."<br>"We don't have to be…"  
>"Steven! Yes, we do. If we're in charge of the twins, we can get stuff done! We can make sure Elizabeth gets off safe to Denver and we can make sure Jessica is set with Mike."<br>"With whom?"  
>"Mike. He's letting her move in with him. As friends."<br>"As friends? Jessica and Mike as friends? What happened?"  
>"I don't know. Perhaps she has matured."<p>

Steven did wonder if that was the case, because his baby sister was actually taking charge of her life, and not in any sort of a daft way. She was even coming over later that day to discuss potential majors. She'd even gotten a job!

"Jessica's coming over today. She wants our advice on a major."  
>"Really?"<br>"Yeah. She has to declare one end of this semester."  
>"Wow."<br>"I think she has something for the babies, too. She's excited."  
>"I know. She felt the babies kick the other day. And she'd asked to."<br>"You seem happy."  
>"I am. I thought she'd be jealous. It appears that's Elizabeth's job, though."<br>"She's just pissed we're 'stealing her thunder'."  
>"I'm having twins. She's just going to Denver!"<br>"I know. Why was my beer in the closet?"

Billie, who'd been about to cry, started to snicker, instead.

"'Cause Elizabeth would've caused a scene if she'd seen it in the fridge. And I couldn't let her treat my fiancé that way."  
>"Thank you. I like being your fiancé."<br>"I like it too."

He did like being engaged to Billie, but he wanted more. He knew it was stupidly old fashioned and traditional of him, he really did, but he wanted more than nearly anything to be able to call her his wife, even though it was just a piece of paper-and his parents and his sister would be very good reasons to _avoid_ marriage-but he simply couldn't help it. He knew that they were better than them-and that Billie wasn't going to have a nervous breakdown because her daughter had been accused of manslaughter after her identical twin had spiked her fruit punch with half a cup of vodka.

She continued speaking.

"I was thinking, maybe we can put Ned and Alice being gone to our advantage. We could get married, just the two of us, a simple courthouse thing."  
>"Mom would kill us!"<br>"Don't be stupid. We can tell her the rug needs a cleaning, that'll sort her."  
>"And then we can 'forget' to change the drapes to the autumn ones!"<br>"Exactly! Do you want to?"  
>"You betcha. We can go today…"<br>"Steven, don't you think it would be wise until Elizabeth's left? She'll pitch a fit-"  
>"-And hop on the next plain to Sydney to tell Mom and Dad-"<br>"-And then they'd come home early-"  
>"-And ruin our fun!"<p>

He had to admit that she had a point about it all.

He couldn't wait for his sister to move to Denver. This would be great. Jessica wouldn't be able to stop them because she'd done the same thing with Mike months ago, and without his parents around they'd be able to have a nice, low key, wedding. That was mostly all that he'd wanted to begin with.

They kissed again, and she sat up, letting the blanket pool on her lap. He leaned over and planted a kiss on her abdomen. She ran her hands through his hair, giggling quietly.

"What are you doing?"  
>"Giving our babies a kiss. It doesn't hurt, does it?"<br>"No, but it tickles."

Tickling, he could handle. He just couldn't handle the thought of hurting her, not even if it was an accident. Speaking of which…

"What exactly has Elizabeth said to you about the babies?"  
>"Nothing. She won't say anything."<br>"She hasn't made comments about the babies conception?"

If she had, he'd probably ream her. Hypothetically, of course. Billie snorted.

"You mean besides expressing her general disapproval of my being pregnant with our babies? Honey, I don't even think she's quite worked out the mechanics of the practical application yet."  
>"You don't mean-"<br>"She asked Jessica how I got pregnant."  
>"What? You're kidding, right?"<br>"Nope. She was serious. When I heard, I was tempted to show her."  
>"Billie! She's my sister!"<br>"Oh, I didn't mean purposefully! I meant on accident."  
>"That's awful! Do you want to have to explain it to her?"<p>

Steven couldn't picture that going well; although he'd entertained thoughts of doing it on his mother's precious cream rug before, knowing full well it would hide any mess they made nicely. Failing that, it would make his mother scream in horror-as she had the time Todd Wilkins had spilled cream of mushroom soup all over it.

"What's so funny?"  
>"Just remembering the last time Mom made cream based soup…"<br>"What happened?"  
>"You know that cream carpet she has in Dad's study? Todd spilled a cup on it. Thought she was gonna shit a bitch."<br>"Oh."

She smiled deviously at him, inching closer, so that they were touching.

"Yeah, so I was-"  
>"Of course we can. Somebody has to look after Prince Albert, after all. We can have a bit of fun during it, that's all."<p>

***

"Hi biggest sibling!"  
>"Hey, Jess. Are you ready to discuss majors?"<br>"Yep!"  
>"Why are you so hyper?"<br>"I'm excited. Liz is leaving in ten days. And Mom and Dad are trying to ride kangaroos."

Billie truly hoped she had heard incorrectly. Surely Jessica hadn't meant it when she said that Alice and Ned were attempting to ride _kangaroos_. Unfortunately, she truly suspected that she was telling the truth. And she really wasn't too surprised. Part of her was slightly concerned that that didn't really surprise her.

Jessica followed Steven into the living room, sitting on the couch next to her, beaming.

"Hey, Jess. How are you?"  
>"Good. I got a job at the police station."<br>"Oh, really? Doing what?"  
>"I work the desk."<br>"That's great, Jess. I'm proud of you."  
>"You are?"<br>"Yeah. I think it's great."

Steven sat next to her, carrying the course selection book in his hands, and she gave him a quick kiss.

"Whatcha guys talking about?"  
>"Jessica's job."<br>"Oh. How's that going?"

Jessica beamed even more, and Billie had to admit she felt a bit relieved that she seemed proud of working. It was a near miracle. Next, she'd have to try convincing Alice and Ned to stay in Australia. That would be nice. Absolutely wonderful.

"It's going well."  
>"That's great, Jess. I'm really proud of you."<br>"That's what Billie said, too."  
>"I know. I heard. I also heard you're moving in with Mike."<br>"Yeah."

She shot her fiancé a look, and he appeared to understand. Instead of pressing his sister further, he pressed his hands against her abdomen, feeling the babies move a bit.

"Is the baby awake?"  
>"A little bit. Do you wanna feel?"<br>"Can I?"  
>"Sure. You're her auntie, after all."<p>

Instead of pawing eagerly at her abdomen just because Steven had, Jessica had actually asked Billie if it was okay to feel the baby. (The twins still didn't know yet.) She was slightly stunned. She took Jessica's hand and laid it on her belly, feeling the babies nudge at them.

"Does that happen all the time?"  
>"Not all the time. A fair bit."<br>"Wow. That's weird. Kinda cool, too, though."  
>"You mean it?"<br>"Yeah. That's my niece."  
>"Niece? How do you know that?"<br>"I dunno. I looked some stuff up when I was bored the other day. You look like you're pregnant with a girl."  
>"…Thanks?"<br>"No problem. Steven, I was wondering if there were any fun majors I could do."

Billie snuggled up against Steven, unsurprised that his sister wanted a 'fun' major.

"You mean creative? Or hah-hah funny?"  
>"Not boring. I don't want a boring major like Liz."<br>"What happened to your design business?"  
>"I don't want to talk about it."<p>

After a quick glance at Jessica's miserable expression, Billie pointedly elbowed Steven-which nicely shut him up.

"Well, you could always do some sort of arty major, Jess."  
>"Like what?"<br>"Well-"  
>"I want to do art history."<p>

They exchanged a look.

"That's…great Jess! Really brilliant!"  
>"Yeah! I like to draw things!"<p>

Later that evening, after Jessica had left, she paged through the course directory-fairly certain that art history had absolutely nothing to do with drawing things.

"She wants to major in art history because she 'likes to draw'. Should we-"  
>"Nah. She'll figure it out. She's a big girl."<br>"You sure?"  
>"Nope."<p>

She giggled, and Steven began to massage her feet, which she'd plunked in his lap. She hadn't even been asking for a foot rub, but she was glad she was getting one. Especially from her fiancé.

"Can we talk about my school stuff now?"  
>"Sure. You want to?"<br>"My advisor said that with my summer classes and with the credits I got taking APs in high school I have a chance of graduating with you-even if I take a semester off for the babies."  
>"Really?"<br>"Yeah. I think I wanna do that."  
>"I want you to too. Would you walk?"<br>"Yeah. If I can find someone to be with the babies."  
>"You will. Maybe Mom?"<br>"Steve! The babies can't be left with your mother! What if she tries to clean?"  
>"At commence-okay you might have a point."<p>

"I know your secret, big brother!"  
>"What?"<br>"I know you and Billie's secret!"  
>"What secret?"<br>"You two got married without us! I saw you at the courthouse when I was walking Prince Albert in downtown Sweet Valley!"  
>"Don't you dare tell Elizabeth, She'll pitch a fit and call Mom and Dad.'<br>"Don't worry. I won't. So what was it like? Was it romantic? Tell me everything!"  
>"It was just the two of us and we went out to a nice dinner afterwards. The pictures are being developed. Sorry we didn't use your dresses."<br>"It's okay."

Jessica walked into the apartment her brother shared with his new wife, Billie. She was so happy that they'd gotten married, even if she hadn't been there, because she _loved_ weddings. They were just so romantic-as long as her mother wasn't involved.

She followed Steven out to the living room and they both sat on opposite sides of the couch.

"Where's Billie?"  
>"I'll be out in a minute, Jess!"<p>

Peering into her brother's bedroom, she could see that Billie was fixing her hair. Jessica thought that they were so lucky, They didn't have to live with Ned and Alice in the summer, they were almost done with school, they weren't seen as 'unreliable old Jessica', they had a plan for their lives…they just seemed…happy. Happier than she'd been during her marriage, at least, gosh, she'd been such a screw up. But this year would be different. It just had to be.

Billie came into the living room and sat next to Steven. She leaned over to give Jessica a hug, which she returned, gently, of course. She didn't want to accidentally hurt the baby or her new sister-in-law.

"Are you going to have a honeymoon?"

Though Billie smiled, she shook her head slightly.

"We might someday. Now we need to save money for the baby."  
>"Oh. I didn't realize."<p>

She felt so stupid. Here she'd been thinking about how romantic the whole wedding and the baby was and it really wasn't. Billie reached out and touched her on the arm reassuringly.

"Don't feel bad, Jess. We're doing okay."

Jessica caught a glimpse of her sister-in-law's wedding ring and let out a gasp, in awe of the diamond that it featured. Apparently her brother wasn't anywhere near broke-it was almost flashy enough for her-and a vast improvement over the pull tab that Tom had given Elizabeth. Yes, a _pull tab_. From a can of _tonic_. At least her big brother had taste!

Steven spoke, laying a hand on Billie's abdomen.

"How's the job going?"  
>"It's okay. Pretty boring. But a job's a job, like you said. And it's better than Taylors."<br>"You have any friends?"  
>"There's this annoying detective, Nick Fox, who always hangs around. I think he likes me. He's pathetic. His parents are Mom's clients."<br>"Well, if you want me to talk to him, let me know, okay? I might be a bit busy getting ready for the baby and stuff like that but I'll always be able to help you. Okay?"  
>"Okay. Will I get first dibs on babysitting?"<br>"Yeah. We'll even pay you something."  
>"You don't have-"<br>"We want to."

She didn't really need any money from them, especially after the debacle that was the fashion show, but, if they trusted that she'd babysit well enough to get paid, she really wouldn't object. She reached out to touch Billie's abdomen, hesitating slightly. Much to her surprise, Billie grabbed her hand and plunked it down next to Steven's. She felt the baby, her little niece or nephew, move, and she grinned widely. It was really kind of exciting.

The fact that she was more excited than Elizabeth had come as a surprise to her most of all, but she supposed that her sister had her own life now, a life that didn't include any of them. At least her big brother invited her over for dinner and stuff like that. At least he didn't have a huge stupid fight with her over something as stupid as a hair brush, or walking the dog, or buying their mother a pill crusher to ensure her medications were being taken.

Living at home sucked.

She kept her hand on Billie's abdomen, still in awe over the fact that there was an actual baby in there.

"Sorry Liz is being a bitch."  
>"It's okay, Jess."<br>"No, it's not. She's treating you like shit because you're pregnant. That's a bitch thing to do. And I told her that."  
>"You did? Thanks."<br>"Soon we can go shopping and get you some cute maternity clothes. Only if you want to."  
>"I think that would be fun."<br>"You do? Really?"  
>"Yeah. Why wouldn't I?"<br>"I dunno. Liz doesn't like me anymore."  
>"Oh, Jessica, I'm sure that's not true! Honey, can you get her a tissue?"<p>

Her sister-in-law pulled her closer and stroked her hair.

***

"Do you want me to wake her up?"  
>"No, it's okay. She looks exhausted. I'm starting to worry about her."<br>"Things probably aren't so great at home."  
>"I know. She just passed right out."<p>

In fact, Jessica had fallen asleep curled up against Billie, still resting her hands on her abdomen.

"Mom is…acting a bit odd. And she and Dad are having some issues. They mentioned separation. Again."  
>"Again?"<br>"Yeah. They've been separated before. My freshman year of college…and when the twins were three years old. I don't think they remember."  
>"What? Why?"<br>"Freshman year, Mom thought Dad was having an affair."  
>"Was he?"<br>"I don't think so. Not then. The first time…he thought Mom was hanging around Fowler Crest too much, if you get my drift."  
>"Oh. Do you want to talk about this later?"<br>"Yeah. You look beautiful."  
>"Thanks."<p>

She squeezed his hand supportively, and he kissed her softly, first on the cheek and then on the lips. She moved closer to him, taking care to not wake Jessica, and he caressed her swollen belly. He kissed her hair, nuzzling the side of her neck, and she wrapped her arms around him.

"I meant it."  
>"I know. You're not your father, Steven Wakefield. Even though you did get a bit crazy over your sister and Mike at the beginning of last year."<br>"She wasn't honest! And she got Elizabeth involved!"  
>"She was young. People do stupid things when they're young. Like thinking I was a boy!"<p>

She was teasing him, and she planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Don't worry. I think I figured that one out."  
>"The babies are kicking."<br>"I know. What do you think we're having?"  
>"I don't know. Two babies."<p>

She giggled, touching her abdomen.

"No, I'm serious. I think we're having a couple of girls."  
>"You do? Why?"<br>"I just do."  
>"Jessica thinks we are too."<br>"I know. I'll be happy whether they're boys or girls. Just as long as they're healthy."


	5. Chapter 5

Much as Steven wanted to leave his youngest sister asleep, it was erring on the late side, and her cell phone had gone off several times. Billie looked to be half asleep, and he himself just wanted to crawl into bed beside his wife and have a cuddle. This had reached a new level of ridiculousness. He knew that his parents thought that Jessica was staying in an apartment with Isabella Ricci (personally, he'd never seen her be such a horrible liar before) and that she couldn't move out until Elizabeth was gone, but surely things couldn't be so awful that she couldn't be at their house.

"Jess? Sweetie, can you get up?"  
>"Huh?"<br>"Sweetie, I need to use the bathroom. Can you get up a bit so I can?"  
>"Sorry, Billie…"<br>"It's alright."

Jessica sat up, squinting at the clock, and she let out a gasp.

"Oh, no. Liz is gonna kill me!"

It wasn't really that late, truth be told, and he and Billie would probably end up watching some cheesy television in bed before they went to sleep, but Jessica looked utterly horrified.

"Why?"  
>"Because she was supposed to go on a date with Todd and I was supposed to be home by 8 and she must've taken the Jeep and now I can't go home because I don't have a car!"<br>"Jess, I can talk to Liz. Give me my phone."

This was incredibly pointless. He couldn't believe his 19 year old sister had taken away the car just because Jessica had accidentally fallen asleep! Didn't Todd have a BMW, anyways? She handed him his cell phone, and he dialed Liz's number from memory, listening to her ever so annoying callback. Who listened to _Hollaback Girl_ anymore? The answer was people too cheap to buy a new tone, he supposed. Needless to say, he got her answering machine.

"Elizabeth Wakefield, do you mean to tell me you purposefully took the car you share with Jessica from the apartment complex without telling her? She's stranded here, thanks to you!"

He felt proud of the fact that he'd refrained from cursing her out.

"If she doesn't come in the half hour, I'll drive you home. That's ludicrous."  
>"No, I want you to stay here. Billie's tired."<p>

Billie came out of their bedroom dressed in her robe and pajamas, and she sat between them once again.

"What's happened?"  
>"Liz took the Jeep and left Jessica here."<br>"Oh, Jess, honey…Did you call her?"  
>"Yes. I left her a message."<br>"How about we have a cup of tea? Do you want to, Jess?"

His sister nodded meekly, and she offered to put the kettle on.

"If you want to, you can go to sleep."  
>"No, it's okay. And get woken up by Elizabeth flipping out at Jessica?"<br>"That won't happen!"  
>"Don't be so sure. She's been a right brat lately."<br>"She has?"  
>"Yes. I hate it. Sorry, I'm just kinda hormonal right now."<br>"Don't be sorry. You can be as hormonal as you want to be, okay?"

She giggled, kissing him on the cheek.

"Okay. Maybe I'll take you up on that when Liz gets here."

Jessica returned, holding out a sleeve of Oreos.

"Can I have these?"  
>"Of course, Jess. As long as you share with me."<br>"What about Steven?"  
>"He doesn't really like them. He's kinda weird."<p>

She kissed him again, curling up against him, thoroughly enjoying her Oreo. Apparently the thought of being able to yell at Elizabeth had woken her.

"I wish I didn't have a twin."  
>"What?"<br>"She's being so mean to me! She doesn't even trust me with the car, remember?"  
>"I am a bit peeved about that. If she makes a fuss, Billie's going to handle it."<br>"You don't have to, Billie. It's okay."

Thankfully, Billie finished swallowing before responding to Jessica.

"Nah, I wanna. Steven said I can get all hormonal on her if I want to. And I do."  
>"She'll get mad…"<br>"I don't really care. She's treating you like shit, Jess."  
>"Don't I deserve it, though? That's what Mom said."<p>

Steven almost choked. Had their mother truly gone insane?

"Mom said you deserved it?"  
>"Yeah. I'm a little shit and I deserve this."<br>"Excuse me? We all make mistakes, Jessica, you're entitled to your fair share. Do I agree with some of the shit you did? No, but, we all make mistakes and our mother is in no position to judge you! Do you even remember the first time they got separated?"  
>"No…"<br>"She was sleeping around with George Fowler! Dad caught them!"  
>"What?"<br>"It's true!"

Steven's phone vibrated, and he answered it, seeing Elizabeth's name on the ID.

"He-"  
>"How dare you ruin my evening with Todd to pick up that lazy twin of mine?"<br>"Li-"  
>"Honestly, Steve, I'm going to be in Denver soon! I wanted to let Todd go to second base tonight!"<p>

He felt slightly ill as the sentence sunk in.

"Liz, you were the one who left Jessica here without warning her!"  
>"I wanted Todd to be able to experience me fully!"<p>

Oh, God, he couldn't take much more of this.

"Elizabeth Ann. Have you lost your ever loving mind?"  
>"I can't sleep with him. Mom made me promise. She doesn't want me turning out like you and Jessica!"<br>"Excuse me?"

Billie grabbed the phone from him.

"What do you mean?"  
>"Billie? What do you want."<br>"Yes, it's me, what do you mean 'she doesn't want me turning out like you and Jessica?'"  
>"Well, Mom doesn't believe in pre-mat-"<br>"Your mother was a child of the 70s, Elizabeth. The 1970s! You think that she wasn't sleeping with Mr. Patman? You think she wasn't sleeping with Ned? You think that your parents aren't trying desperately to save what's left of their marriage? And your mother dares criticize us and your sister for having sex?"  
>"It's wrong!"<br>"How is it wrong? You know why Tom dumped you? Because you wouldn't give an inch for him! Why do you think the two of you got 'engaged'?"  
>"Shut up! What do you know?"<br>"I know that-talk to your brother. I can speak to you right now!"

The dial tone was his only response. She'd actually hung up on him. Even in the very beginning of her pregnancy, when Billie had been her most hormonal and stressed out, she'd never actually hung up on him. He couldn't believe the nerve of his sister! Beside him, his wife shifted closer, letting out a sigh.

"Do you want to stay here, Jess? The spare room's all set up for the most part."

Jessica was crying. Darn. If it wasn't poor Billie in tears it was someone else. At least with his wife he could kiss her and make her feel better. He was rubbish at this stuff.

"She thinks I'm a whore. She thinks I'm a whore. I haven't been on a damn date since Louis Miles and she thinks I'm a whore."  
>"Jess…"<br>"How could Mom tell her that?"  
>"Jess…"<p>

See? Rubbish!

"She thinks I'm a whore!"  
>"Jess, she made comments about us, too."<br>"I know but she doesn't hate you! She's just jealous because you're going to be a dad! She thinks I'm a whore!"

Billie hugged Jessica tightly, making soothing noises at her.

"Come on, Jess. Let's get you set for bed. I have some pajamas that'll fit you, I think, and you can just spend the night with us. Okay?"  
>"She thinks I'm a whore…"<p>

"Oh, look, James. One of the twins is here."  
>"Mom, shut up."<br>"Billie, I was merely informing your father that one of Steven's sisters is here! Oh, my stars, I just love twins! How old are they again? Twelve?"  
>"Mother, Jessica and Elizabeth are nineteen!"<br>"Oh, but they're so adorable! Are they both here?"  
>"No, just Jess."<br>"I think that identical twins are so adorable! It must be like having a built in best friend! Isn't that right, Jessica?"

Jessica looked up from the magazine she'd been reading, and she gave Mrs. Winkler a dull stare.

"No. I hate her."  
>"You what? Why?"<br>"Because she thinks I'm a whore."

Mr. and Mrs. Winkler looked confused. Billie looked vaguely horrified. She simply stirred her melting ice cream, blinking back tears. She hated Elizabeth. She hated her. How dare she call her a whore and say things about Steven like that? How dare she?

In fact, Mrs. Winkler appeared to be, quite literally, clutching her strand of pearls.

"My stars! Why would she say such a thing like that?"  
>" Because she's awful! She thinks that I'm a whore because I got married and got it annulled and almost got raped and ran off with a professor!"<br>"That doesn't make you a whore! I can't believe Elizabeth would say something like that!"

Steven managed to turn his snort into a cough as he shook Mr. Winkler's hand, and they both sat down at the table across from her. She made an attempt to eat the soupy ice cream her brother had forced her to eat for breakfast, aware that she was the only one (besides their parents) who'd seen Billie's parents in the flesh.

No less than fifty exclamations of 'my stars' later, Jessica had been given permission to leave the dining room. She was relieved. Pleasant though Billie's mother was, she was a bit annoying, and Billie's father kept calling her 'kid'. Needless to say, when she'd been given the opportunity to watch TV in their bedroom, she'd practically jumped at the chance.

Which was why, when her older brother walked into his room, she was under the covers, watching Bear in the Big Blue House. Fortunately, Steven chose not to comment.

"Hey, Jess. Billie's saying goodbye to her parents now."  
>"Okay. Thanks for letting me spend the night. Sorry about the crying."<br>"It's okay, we can consider it practice. Are you doing better?"  
>"Yeah. I guess. Sorry if I was rude to Billie's parents."<p>

Billie entered the room.

"You weren't rude, Jess. Was she rude, babe?"

Jessica watched them hug, since it was more interesting than the TV show. They sat down on the bed, beside her.

"You weren't rude, Jess. Truthfully, I wasn't expecting them to show up."  
>"Did you tell them you got married?"<br>"Yeah."  
>"Did you let them feel the baby?"<br>"Yeah."  
>"May I feel?"<br>"Of course."

She sat up and rubbed Billie's abdomen, surprised at how much her niece or nephew moved.

"Why does the baby kick so much?"

Her brother and his wife exchanged a meaningful look.

"Actually, Jess, the reason the baby kicks so much is because I'm pregnant with twins."  
>"You are? Really?"<br>"Yeah. The doctor says they're identical. That's why I was so sick in the beginning of my pregnancy. That's why I was so exhausted. That's also why I started to show so early."  
>"Wow. Congratulations. You're gonna be the best at it!"<br>"Thanks, Jess. That means a lot to me."  
>"You're welcome. It's true, too."<p>

She squeezed Billie lightly, happy to have two nieces or nephews to dote on.

"Now, you're the only one who knows right now-even Liz doesn't-"  
>"I won't tell anyone, I promise."<br>"You can tell people."

"Why can't they call? This is the second time in the past two months that they've just randomly showed up!"  
>"They worry about you. They just wanna make sure you're okay, with the pregnancy and all."<br>"It's annoying! At least your parents are off gallivanting around the world and are useful when they come by! If I'd asked my mother to help clean I'd have never heard the end of it!"  
>"Whereas, my mother cleans out of love. Or her uncontrollable OCD. Either one makes sense."<br>"At least your mother would've left Jessica alone! Was it really needed for my mother to try to call Elizabeth?"  
>"Aw, she was only trying to help. Besides, I was doing a tally of how many times she said 'my stars'."<br>"I think they were scared off, though. This is good, because I want some time alone with you."

Billie gave Steven a kiss on the cheek, and she leaned against the kitchen counter, rubbing her abdomen absentmindedly. The twins had stopped kicking, and she assumed that that was due to the fact that the excitement of the day had worn them out. Possibly her parents unasked for constant prodding at her abdomen had done it too. She hated when people touched her belly without being invited, or even asking. It was rude, more than a bit annoying, and she couldn't say anything because they were her parents! It was pretty bad that she preferred the Wakefields, but at least Jessica was interested in the babies and Elizabeth was going to be in Denver and Alice and Ned were ignoring them, as usual. She took a bite out of her apple, still irritated.

Steven reached out and caressed her abdomen. One of the twins kicked at him, and she giggled, moving closer to him.

"Thanks for making me feel better."  
>"Oh, you're welcome. I'm glad you're pregnant, babe."<br>"Even though I'm pregnant with twins?"  
>"Especially 'cause we're pregnant with twins. I think it's great!"<br>"You do?"  
>"Of course. Who do you think they're gonna look like?"<br>"Both of us."  
>"Really? I think so too."<p>

She rubbed her abdomen again, and some of the stress she'd felt because of her parents slipped away. Her husband could usually make her feel better, even though she was currently a mess of hormones.

"The 'my stars' thing is annoying. She does it when she's uncomfortable."  
>"They don't like me, do they?"<br>"Oh, no, it's not like that. It's not all black and white, Steven. They're never going to be happy that I got pregnant outside of marriage. They're never going to be happy we didn't get married in the church. They're just disappointed, I think. It's not your fault."  
>"It is."<br>"No, honey, it's not. Come on. Here."

She took his hands and pressed them down on her abdomen, and they stood there, feeling the twins kick. Steven gave her a slight smile, which she returned.

"I'm glad you're pregnant. I really am."  
>"Me too."<br>"Maybe it's unrealistic, but I think that this is one of the best things that happened to us. You're gonna be a great mom."  
>"You're gonna be a great dad. And you're not being unrealistic."<p>

His slight smile turned into a grin, and he kissed her again, nuzzling her neck.

"I love you. So much."  
>"I love you, too."<p>

She hugged him tightly.

"I'm glad you're my wife. You're the best."  
>"You always say that."<br>"Yeah. It's true. You look beautiful."

She looked down to see what she was wearing, which was a simple black skirt and a t-shirt, both of which had always been sort of loose on her, and she simply smiled at him, giving him another kiss.

"Thanks."  
>"You're welcome."<p>

***

"And then she called me a whore, Mike! A whore! My own twin thinks I'm a whore!"  
>"Did she say why she thought you were a whore?"<br>"No! She mentioned something daft about our getting married and my almost getting raped and my affair with Louis, but I hardly see how that makes me a whore! She's the one who's stringing both Todd and Tom around like they're puppets!"  
>"Did you tell Elizabeth this hurt your feelings?"<br>"No! She's being a bitch, Mike! She made fun of Steven and Billie, too! Saying that they shouldn't have gotten pregnant!"  
>"I-"<br>"And she said that Mom and Dad agree with her! Dad's off shagging Marianna West in New York all the time and Mom is zoned out on tranquilizers!"

Mike paused, recalling a rumor that had been going around roughly two years ago about one of the founding members of that stupid sorority Jessica belonged to completely losing her mind after her daughter had been accused of manslaughter. What on earth was their mother's first name, anyways? He'd always called the Wakefield parents Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield-it had never occurred to him that there might be a relationship between the two of them. Perhaps it had been through some sort of misguided sense of not wanting her mother to go completely off the rails that had caused Jessica to lie about her marriage. Maybe.

"What are you talking about?"  
>"Oh. You didn't know. Mom's been messed up since Liz and I were juniors in high school."<br>"What? What happened?"  
>"It's a long story. Liz killed my boyfriend Sam because I spiked her punch with a cup of vodka but it wasn't really her that caused the crash and Mom started to clean and had a nervous breakdown and there was this girl that looked exactly like Liz and me trying to kill Liz and take over her life-"<br>"Your mother is Alice Robertson?"  
>"Yeah. How did you know that?"<br>"The Thetas were making fun of her. They wondered how one of their founders could fall so far."  
>"What?"<br>"Yeah."  
>"Well she deserved it since she's gotten Liz and Dad to think I'm a whore!"<br>"Jess!"  
>"What?"<br>"Maybe Liz is feeling a bit overwhelmed about everything. You know, your brother getting engaged, the two of you becoming aunts, moving to Denver? It doesn't make it right, what she said, but maybe that's why she's behaving this way."  
>"I <em>hate<em> her. She doesn't understand."

During their brief marriage, Mike had never really seen this side of Jessica. She'd never really seemed to care about others' feelings, and she'd certainly never put much stock into what others' opinions were, but he did suppose everyone had a breaking point.

"What doesn't Liz understand?"  
>"She doesn't understand that she's hurting people! I know that I hurt people, Mike, I do, but I hate how she's making Billie feel!"<br>"What's she saying?"  
>"She's saying that Billie's a whore because she got pregnant. She can say stuff like that about me, but I don't see how Steven getting Billie pregnant makes her a whore."<br>"You're right, Jess."  
>"I wish she was happy for them. I mean, Billie and Steven are going to be great parents-I don't see why she can't see that."<p>

Mike let out a sigh.

"I think that your sister is upset because your brother got Billie pregnant not because he got her pregnant but because he got her pregnant while Elizabeth was struggling with things, such as her semester in Denver and her relationship with Tom-"  
>"But she's being mean!"<br>"I know! I don't think what she's doing is right, Jess."  
>"She won't even pretend to be happy for them! Billie wants her to feel the babies and stuff and she never, ever, ever does!"<p>

He tried to process what Jessica said. _Babies?_ In the plural?

"Twins?"  
>"Yeah!"<br>"Your brother is having twins?"  
>"Uh-huh!"<br>"Wow. Twins at 21. Wow."  
>"I think that Steven and Billie will be great parents!"<br>"I didn't say they wouldn't be!"  
>"I know you didn't. Elizabeth did. Mean old Elizabeth did. She says they won't be like Mom and Dad!"<br>"Is that a bad thing?"  
>"No. She just thinks they did such a bang up job raising us!"<p>

Jessica snorted, taking a sip of the beer Mike had hastily set in front of her, seemingly unaware that it was in a bottle. They sat on the couch, sharing a bowl of chips and guacamole-he'd even agreed to let her make it, though really that had been to get her to stop with the whole 'I'm a whore' thing.

"Does she really?"  
>"Yeah. She's so stupid! They suck as parents, they really do! I hate hate hate hate hate hate them!"<br>"Do you really?"  
>"Why can't they ever be there for us? Why do they always leave all the time? Why do they always go on cruises? Why do they always leave?"<p>

He put an arm around her shoulders, and gave her a friendly hug.

"I don't know, Jess. Sometimes people just suck. Maybe your parents are two of them."  
>"But, it sucks! I just…"<p>

She trailed off.

"You just what?"  
>"Nothing. Don't worry about it."<br>"You can tell me, Jess."  
>"It's nothing! I promise, it's nothing!"<br>"…Okay…"


	6. Chapter 6

"Leave me alone! I want to stay here, Elizabeth!"  
>"<em>What the hell is that?"<em>  
>"I don't want to go home with you, Elizabeth! I want to stay here!"<br>"_Are they fighting in the parking lot?"_

Billie, clad in her nightgown, flung open the curtains, to see both her sister in laws arguing in the parking lot. She groaned. Typical Elizabeth to show up at indecent hours, when people were trying to sleep. (Or do other things, in her and Steven's case.) This was awful. Why couldn't the twins argue during the day, like normal people? For once? For one blissful time?

"Yes, Steven, they are. Do you think we should do something?"  
>"Like what?"<br>"Stop your sisters from fighting! It's the middle of the night, and they're interrupting our movie!"  
>"I don't think it'll work."<br>"What do you mean? They can't keep yelling at each other in the parking lot! People are trying to sleep!"

Steven kissed her tenderly on the lips, in a nice attempt to distract her from the fight brewing outside. She let out a heavy sigh, sitting beside him on the bed, lacing her fingers with his. She wanted to ignore them, she truly did, but it was so hard to. She felt bad for Jessica, and Elizabeth's shrill voice was giving her a headache.

"Elizabeth, don't touch me! I don't want the leash!"

She shot Steven a look.

"The leash?"  
>"I don't know what she's talking about. Hold on, let me look out the window."<br>"Okay."

He stood, glaring down at his younger sisters, and she joined him, wanting to see what the hell Elizabeth was talking about with the leash. Her sister in law was brandishing an actual dog leash that appeared to be a Prince Albert reject and was _trying to get Jessica to put the collar on._ She shot Steven a pointed look, elbowing him in the ribs.

"Do something!"  
>"What? What can I do? She won't tell Liz that she wants to live with Mike, and I've only just gotten people to stop referring to me as the 'Zorro of SVU'!"<br>"She's your sister, though! They can't abuse each other like this!"  
>"You know what?"<br>"What?"  
>"We can go down and try to stop her, if it means that much to you. Okay?"<br>"Okay. Thank you."

They kissed, and he spun her around.

"You're welcome. Let's go."

He picked her up, carrying her over the threshold, and they walked downstairs, deciding to forego the elevator.

***

"I honestly think I'll kill her."  
>"You don't mean that!"<br>"People are trying to sleep! It's after midnight!"

Though Steven had sworn that his sisters had been arguing in the lobby of the complex, they had instead gone outside. Their raised voices were sharp and bitter, and a light mist was falling. He sighed. Billie had walked ahead of him, and he ran to catch up.

"Elizabeth Wakefield! What the hell do you think you're doing? Do you have any idea what time it is?"  
>"Shut up, Billie! This is between Jessica and me!"<br>"It's past midnight! People are trying to sleep!"  
>"This has nothing to do with the two of you! Go back to bed!"<br>"We'd like to! What are you doing here?"  
>"Jessica needs to go home! Mom and Dad said she has to!"<br>"Would you just go away? Stop bothering her!"  
>"Why should I? I have to mind her while they're gone. They already think she's a whore!"<p>

At that point, Jessica burst into tears. He bit back a heavy sigh, foreseeing another long, sleepless night, involving his kid sister waking them up every hour with 'she thinks I'm a whore'. He couldn't help it. He opened his mouth, yet again.

"Leave her alone!"

Elizabeth glared in his direction, hands on her hips.

"That's true. After all, Jessica never got accidentally pregnant, did she? Oh, right, that was your girlfriend. That explains why they get along so well, now, doesn't it?"  
>"Shut up!"<br>"Hurts, doesn't it?"  
>"You have no right to insult Billie or Jessica!"<p>

His new wife took offense to that, and he thought back to a nightmare she'd had when she'd had when they'd first found out she was pregnant.

"_Mother, I'll be home from school at exactly three twenty-four." Her ten year old daughter looked at the clock. "Let's synchronize our watches."_

_Billie looked up from the legal brief she was revising in her home office. "Synchronize our watches? Why?"_

_Lizzie Jr. glared at her mother. "Don't you want to be sure you're home when I get here?"_

_"I'll be in court. But your father will be here," Billie assured her._

_"Children need the love and support of both parents," her daughter informed her sternly. "How am I supposed to grow up to be a mentally healthy, functional adult without the complete support of both parents?"_

_Billie gulped, "Are you saying I'm a bad mother?"_

_Little Lizzie pursed her lips. "I don't want to be harsh, but lets just say there's a lot of room for improvement."_

_Billie dropped her pencil and began to weep. "I'm sorry, Lizzie. I'm so sorry. But your father and I work so hard. You have no idea how difficult it is to go to school, work, raise you, shop, keep house, and prepare three square meals a day."_

_Lizzie crossed her arms over chest. "Did I ask you to have me when you were still in school? No. Is it fair to blame all your problems on me? No."  
>Billie held out her arms. "You're making me feel so guilty."<em>

_"I'm making you feel guilty. See? There you go again, blaming everything on me. It's no wonder I have a complex."  
><em>

***

Somehow, Billie had managed to convince Jessica to spend the second night in a row at her and Steven's apartment, and this night had been only slightly less taxing then the previous one. Her sister-in-law had been allowed to have a couple Tylenol PMs, and she'd managed to sleep through most of the night, only bursting into hysterical sobs twice. Unfortunately, her night's sleep had been ruined by Steven's nightmares, which had consisted of their twins failing their classes and getting stung by bumblebees. Even her sleepy reassurances that bumblebees didn't sting did little to calm him, much to her annoyance. Which was why she was still half asleep and certainly not in a good mood even though it was almost 11 o'clock.

She stumbled out of their bedroom to find Jessica in the kitchen, reading the day's paper, and a fresh pot of coffee in the coffee maker. She yawned, smiling slightly, grabbing her mug from the cupboard. She poured a large cup of coffee, stirring in a packet of sweetener, before sitting down in the chair across from her sister-in-law.

She managed to bite back her shock at Jessica reading the paper.

"Hey, Jess. I'm sorry about last night."  
>"No, I am. It was my fault."<br>"It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. Liz just needs to grow up a bit, that's all."  
>"I am sorry, though. Mike said I can move in earlier, if I want to. I think I'll go home and pack. Todd said he'd get Liz out of my hair when he talked to Mike."<br>"I think that's a good idea. Where's Steven?"  
>"He and Mike went to get donuts, I think. I hate Liz."<br>"I know. I'm sorry she's behaving this way. Maybe she's nervous about leaving for Denver."  
>"She hates me. And I hate her."<br>"I know. It's okay."  
>"Don't tell Mom and Dad!"<br>"I won't. Don't worry. This is the sort of thing people can keep a secret."

Jessica sighed.

"Unlike being married?"  
>"Yeah. Steven and I sent your parents a post card about it."<br>"I didn't mean you. I meant me. I really hurt Mike, didn't I?"  
>"I think you did. I think you should've been honest to him and to your parents-but your mother had just come out of the hospital and clearly change is not her friend and your father is becoming more useless by the day-but you still should've told them. Somehow."<br>"I should've at least told Steve and Liz. Maybe we could've stayed married then."  
>"Well, you and Mike seem to be getting along better now than when the two of you were in a relationship together. I agree that you should've told your brother and sister, but I just think you may have rushed into marriage a bit. I think you were too young."<br>"I know... I thought being married would help me grow up, you know, I wasn't ready."  
>"I understand."<p>

She sipped her coffee.

"Mike and I have been talking about it."  
>"That's good."<p>

Jessica beamed, apparently proud of her newfound ability to be responsible. The door to the apartment opened, and Steven came in, followed by Mike, carrying a box of donuts. Billie stood, and she walked over to him, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thanks for buying donuts, Steve. Where'd you go? Lila's?"  
>"We were going to, but the place was mobbed. Again. Besides, I think 'designer donuts' are a bit overrated."<br>"I kinda like them. Thanks for letting me sleep in."

She hugged him tightly, forgetting about Jessica, the donuts, Mike, and her slight irritation at his entire family for the moment. He kissed the top of her head.

"You're welcome. Did you just get up?"  
>"A few minutes ago. Jess and I were having a nice chat."<p>

***

Over the previous day's coffee and donuts, Jessica, Steven, Billie, and Mike had weighed the pros and cons of the various outcomes of the situation, and it had been decided that she would (until Elizabeth left) move into Billie and Steven's spare bedroom. It would only be for four weeks (at the most) and her sister-in-law had sweetened the deal by promising to go shopping soon-since Elizabeth had taken the Jeep, Jessica was at the mercy of other people's cars, and she did like shopping with other people, after all.

Which was why she and her sister-in-law were watching _Friends_ together-she wasn't working that day and Billie had finished her summer classes-on the big screen TV (an old one of Lila's) in her older brother's bedroom. He was at work at their father's law office, due to the extension of his internship.

"What are you going to name them?"  
>"The twins? I don't know yet. We haven't really discussed it much."<br>"Oh. Are you excited?"  
>"Yeah. You wanna feel?"<br>"Yeah. Are they both awake?"

Jessica watched Billie feel her abdomen as she sat up. She nodded.

"Yeah, I think so."

She placed her hands on Billie's abdomen. She couldn't wait for the twins to be born, especially since they were identical.

"Are you guys going to have to move?"  
>"No. Not for awhile, anyways. The twins can share a room for a couple years."<p>

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and she thought back to when she'd been happy to be an identical twin, when she and mean old Elizabeth had been best friends. Like in second grade, when they'd dressed alike most of the time, had identical hairstyles, and had to wear name bracelets so people could tell them apart. The only differences between them were their friends (she'd preferred Lila Fowler and Ellen Riteman, while Liz had hung out with Amy Sutton and Todd Wilkins) and their hobbies (she'd enjoyed dolls and stuffed animals, while her twin had been into sports and reading). In sixth grade, they'd grown even further apart. Elizabeth started a newspaper, and she'd become a member of the Unicorn club. (Later, her twin had started a rival club known as the _Angels_) They'd stopped dressing alike, and they'd even stopped sharing a room. Their high school years had them grow even further apart, when Elizabeth focused on the Oracle and Jessica had joined the cheerleading squad and Pi Beta Alpha, SVH's sorority. Now, in their sophomore year of college, they weren't even speaking! Elizabeth had even dyed her hair an interesting shade of orange!

She was sure that her brother's twins would fare better than they had!

"If they're girls, are you gonna dress 'em alike?"  
>"I don't know. Maybe. It depends. I'll have to discuss it with your brother."<br>"We used to dress alike. We used to be best friends. Now she hates me."  
>"Oh, Jess...I'm sure Elizabeth doesn't hate you. She's just...conflicted. I think. You're twins. That's something that will never go away."<br>"But she said I was a whore!"  
>"Sometimes, we say things we don't mean to other people when we're stressed out about something. Like when Steven was awful to Mike. Or when I treated Steven so awfully when I first found out I was pregnant with these guys."<br>"But Steven was trying to protect me, in a completely foolish and misguided way, which was partly my fault, and you were pregnant, and your emotions were all messed up and stuff like that. That's why you guys acted like that."  
>"Well, maybe Liz is stressed out too. Moving away from her friends and family is a big step, and she probably doesn't want to admit that it is. Your mother also insisted she make a completely unfair promise about not having sex, which is probably stressing her further. You understand?"<br>"Kinda. Like how I should've been more sympathetic towards Steven when Tricia Martin died? Or when I should've told Mom and Dad and you two about my getting married?"  
>"Yeah. It's okay to be mad at Elizabeth, I'm not too thrilled with her either, but it's important to look at it from all sides. I'm sure that eventually she'll realize that calling you a whore wasn't really the most mature thing to do."<br>"What about what she said about you and Steven?"  
>"Well, those might be her points of view. I can't fault her for what her beliefs may be, and she may think that it's 'sinful' or whatever for us to have gotten pregnant illegitimately. I'd rather the twins be around people that love them then people who feel forced to love them, you know?"<br>"Oh. Well _I'm_ happy that I get to be an auntie. I'm glad you decided to keep the twins."

She gave Billie an impulsive hug, which, though it surprised both of them, was returned.

"I'm glad I...decided to keep the twins too."

She noticed the catch in her voice, and she looked at her sister-in-law, surprised that she had started to cry. She patted her back in an awkward attempt to comfort her, not sure what to do. She wondered if she should call Steven to see if he had any advice. Instead, she hugged Billie again.

"Are you okay?"  
>"Mhm."<br>"Are you sure?"

She handed her a box of tissues, and she dabbed at her eyes, the tears mostly stopped.

"Yeah. It's just hormones, I think. I was so stupid."  
>"When?"<br>"When I wanted to get an...you know."  
>"You weren't stupid. You were confused. You didn't know what to do. Can I tell you something, without you getting too mad?"<br>"Sure."

Billie sniffled.

"I was there when you told Chas about being pregnant. I eavesdropped, Billie, and I knew I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it. Chas is a jerk. He was manipulating you into wanting to have an abortion, and I knew you couldn't see that, because you were overwhelmed by everything. He hates Steven. I've seen the way he looks at him, I was there at that dance, I noticed his looks. And I saw the way he looked at you, like he wanted to eat you. Like he was just priming you for his chance to swoop in, to try to break you and Steven up. How I used to with the boys at Sweet Valley High. That was why he said that it wouldn't 'work' for you to be a mother. That was why he told you to see his sister-"  
>"What else?"<br>"-after you left, I overheard Chas call his sister, and he told her-he told her-that you were involved in a dangerous relationship and that you thought the baby would save it. I'm sorry."  
>"Thanks, Jess. I appreciate you telling me that. Thank you."<br>"You're not mad?"  
>"Not at you. I know it took a lot for you to tell me. I'm proud of you. I really am. Thank you. Maybe I will let your brother hit Chas."<br>"I-I told Mike. He offered to 'teach him a lesson'. Maybe they could do it together?"

In spite of the topic, they both shared a smile. Billie even giggled, rubbing her belly lightly.

"I think I'll consider that prospect." 

Janet Howell watched the Wakefield house with a bemused sort of interest, realizing that the fight soon to be brewing between Jessica, Elizabeth, and Steven could be very interesting. Indeed, it seemed that not all was rosy with the picture perfect Wakefields. The parents, who had recently returned from Australia, of all places, had been unamused to find that Steven had married the girl that had been at their pool party, despite the fact that she was obviously pregnant and a drunken Elizabeth had insisted on giving her the dirty details the previous evening. Steven, her first real crush, was going to be a father, a fact that really didn't surprise her, but made her hope that he'd be better at it than his parents had been. He was still cute, but she was no longer thirteen. Besides, as long as he wasn't still in that foolish relationship with her cousin, she could be happy for him. Jessica was accompanied by a handsome, older man, both of whom wore displeased expressions, and Janet was somewhat amused by the fact that her former protege was wearing a purple skirt. Part of her missed the Unicorns. Just a little bit. What amused Janet the most? Elizabeth's transformation into a tarted up sleaze. A tease of a sleaze, but a sleaze, nonetheless.

To make things even more deliciously awkward, she knew that Steven's in-laws were in town, and were planning on showing up. She'd had to deal with them earlier, when they'd been confused as to why there was no answer at the Wakefields' house. She'd even introduced herself, and was quite amused when they didn't recognize Elizabeth, whose hair had become an unfortunate shade of orange.

Yes, orange. Bright, obviously dyed, orange. She couldn't help but giggle.

Still, she supposed she should at least warn Steven and his wife (they had been introduced a few times, but Janet couldn't remember her name) about her parents being in town, and she was interested in Jessica's mystery man, and, really, she wanted to see just how bad Mrs. Wakefield was. The other day, she'd told her that the other Unicorns were inside, waiting for their meeting! She'd found that hysterical. The mere thought of hanging out with some of those people again had been enough.

Fed up with herself over her reminiscing, Janet Howell decided to pay her dear neighbors a visit. It had been a while, after all.

"Joe, I'm going to Jessica's!"

Her brother, as usual, didn't respond. She rolled her eyes, exasperated. Heaven forbid Joe should want to say hello to his childhood best friend once in a while! Even she deigned to speak to Ellen Riteman! On occasion. When circumstances dictated.

She approached the foursome, noticing that none of them looked particularly thrilled. Jessica and Steven bore identical miserable expressions, Steven's wife sort of looked like she was tempted to throw up, and Jessica's friend looked mystified. This entire business amused her.

She decided to approach Jessica. They were somewhat still on friendly terms, and it would be less awkward to not know her guest's name, rather than the name of Steven's wife.

"Jessica, hi, it's so nice to see you. How are things? I had tea with your mother yesterday."  
>"You did?"<br>"Yes. She told me all about your little argument with Lizzie. And about her trip to Australia. It was...pleasant."  
>"My mom invited you over?"<br>"No, fortunately, she didn't."

She turned to Steven, smiling innocently at him, and continued to speak.

"Your in-laws showed up yesterday. They're in town, and they wanted to visit to discuss the...situation. Needless to say, your mother and father weren't home and Elizabeth tried to scare them off. You ought to thank me for allowing them to spend the night in the apartment my parents rent for Joe. They're glad it finally got some use. Anyways, I had to finagle an invitation out of your mother, so she came up with today. I'm sorry. And congratulations."  
>"What? How? How do you know about that?"<br>"About you being married? Elizabeth told me. About your wife being pregnant? It's fairly obvious. Okay?"

Janet turned to Steven's wife, a genuine smile on her face. While the Wakefields were fun to toy with, she couldn't help but at the very least tolerate the newcomer. Steven had gone over to where Jessica was.

"You're lucky, you know that, right? Steven turned out okay, despite all the craziness."  
>"I know."<br>"I meant it when I said congratulations."  
>"I know. I'm sorry, though, I don't think we've ever really been properly introduced. I'm Billie."<br>"I'm Janet."  
>"Lila's cousin, right?"<br>"It's complicated."  
>"Thanks for dealing with my parents."<p>

Billie had no idea that Janet, Joe and their parents had been covering for their very dear neighbors for years, and she was fairly certain Steven didn't realize either. There was, after all, a reason Department of Children and Families had never showed up.

"It was nothing. Don't worry about it."

At that moment, Mrs. Wakefield arrived home from work, obliviously parking her Buick on part of the Howells' lawn. Janet bit back her anger, smiling benignly at her next door neighbor.

"Hello, Mrs. Wakefield. Is there a particular reason you decided that the front lawn was an appropriate place to park your car?"  
>"Hi, Janet! Are you coming over to our house for dinner today?"<br>"What?"  
>"Well, Jessie's home and she's brought a friend and Lizzie's home and Todd is coming over, and Steven's brought his wife, and Ned is bringing his friend from work, Marianna, and don't you want to meet my in-laws?"<br>"You want me to interrupt our family dinner?"  
>"Interrupt? Heavens, no! I'm inviting you to join us! Aren't you Jessie's best friend?"<br>"That's _Lila_, Mrs. Wakefield. Remember her? Rich girl, lives in Fowler Crest? My cousin?"  
>"Oh, your cousin?"<p>

Mrs. Wakefield gave her a vague, befuddled, look, and she suddenly noticed that Steven, Jessica, Billie, and Jessica's friend were giving her identical pleading looks. She groaned inwardly.

"You know what, Mrs. Wakefield? Dinner sounds lovely and not at all awkward and bizarre. I would love to join you."  
>"Excellent! How about Joe?"<br>"Joe won't be joining us. He's had a long day today."  
>"And your parents?"<br>"They're out of town. It's really a pity."

She left out the fact that her parents hadn't spoken to Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield in roughly four years, except in passing. Instead, she silently followed the rest of the Wakefields into their split-level house, stopping only to give their dog a scratch behind the ears. Prince Albert barked, and was promptly shushed by Mrs. Wakefield.

***

Dinner was, needless to say, not off to a good start. Steven's mother had seemed to have had a few to many drinks at her 'work' lunch, and had taken to giggling inappropriately every time either one of the twins opened their mouths. She was convinced that Mike was in fact Joe Howell, and no one had had the heart to dissuade her of this fact. Neither of his sisters were speaking to each other, his father and Marianna West were clearly hitting on one another, Billie bore a miserable expression that he was sure he mirrored, and her parents had called to say they were running a bit late. This was absolutely awful. He'd been certain having Janet over would ease some of the tension, especially between the twins.

Obviously, he'd been wrong.

It also didn't help matters that his sister and Janet were both wearing purple, which only caused his mother to think that the twosome was going to have a meeting of the stupid _Unicorn Club_ after dinner. He was going to go insane by the time the meal was over.

"Steven, dear, why ever possessed you to get married without us being there? Your wife is very nice, I'm sure we would've gotten on."  
>"You've met Billie, Mom. We've been together for over two years."<br>"Have you?"

At that moment, to a mixture of his relief and horror, the doorbell rang, and he and Billie both rose to get it. He took her hand, actually happy to see the Winklers, for about the first and only time in his life. She planted a kiss on his cheek, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. They opened the door together.

Prince Albert nearly toppled Mrs. Winkler over, and Steven made a mental note to walk him before they left.

They led them into the kitchen, where his mother was topping off her drink, and sat them next to Mike and Janet, who had been deemed less likely to offend them. (Really, the qualifications had been extremely low.) Much to his horror, his mother hadn't forgotten the conversation he'd been so glad to escape.

"Whatever happened to Tricia, dear?"  
>"She died, Mom. Remember?"<br>"Oh, that's right! Elizabeth killed her after that rainforest dance!"  
>"No, Mom, that was Sam. Tricia had cancer, remember?"<br>"Oh, of course. Wasn't she a Unicorn, Janet?"

Janet rolled her eyes, passing Billie's mother the breadbasket.

"Mrs. Wakefield, that was Mandy Miller. Tricia was never a Unicorn."  
>"You should let her join!"<br>"Mrs. Wakefield, I haven't been the president of the Unicorns since I was in eighth grade."  
>"Oh, really? Maybe you should start it up again! You could have your meetings here!"<p>

Steven noticed the confused looks that Billie's parents gave each other. He sighed.

"Mr. and Mrs. Winkler, what brings you back to Sweet Valley?"  
>"Well, Steven, dear, we wanted to discuss some things that we've noticed about your family."<p>

He blanched.

"Like what, Mrs. Winkler?"  
>"Well, I notice that your parents aren't very involved in your lives. I mean, my stars, they didn't realize your sister hasn't been a, Unicorn, I believe, since eighth grade!"<p>

Oh, of course. Never mind that his father was blatantly cheating on his mother and had brought the mistress to dinner, that his mother had gotten so completely drunk that she was confusing people (and alcohol affected her medications), that neither of the twins had even looked at each other, that there were plenty of other reasons to be worried about his extremely messed up family, the Winklers were of course right to focus on the fact that his mother (who always did this when faced with people such as Janet or Ellen) thought Jessica was still a stupid Unicorn.

Much to his surprise, Janet, whom the Winklers had dealt with yesterday, saved the day.

"Oh, the Unicorns still exist. It's just that since Ellen is usually observing the Sabbath today we can't hold our meetings. It wouldn't be fair to exclude her because she's Jewish!"  
>"My stars! You are inclusive! Billie, dear, you should become a Unicorn!"<p>

Billie looked down at her mug, stirring her cooling tea, refusing to answer her mother.

"Well, we are a fairly exclusive club...but Billie would be welcome to join us, if she desired."  
>"I think that's marvelous! My stars, you could be in a society club that includes other religions! Do you belong to the Veronica country club we passed on our way into town?"<br>"Verona Springs? No. We aren't that nouveau riche. I do believe Uncle George belongs, but only to say he does."  
>"My stars! You're wealthy? I wonder why you're not living in one of those fancy mansions-like the one we drove past-Flower Crust, was it?"<p>

Janet looked somewhat annoyed, and his mother burst into gales of laughter.

"You mean Fowler Crest, Mom. Janet's aunt and uncle live there."  
>"My stars!"<br>"Mom, it's not that big a deal. Chill out."  
>"Don't tell me to 'chill out', Billie."<br>"Oh, Heaven forbid you ever leave well enough alone, Mother. Heaven forbid!"


	7. Chapter 7

"It could've been much worse."  
>"Your mother has lost it!"<br>"I think she was just drunk. That's not how she acts when she's gone insane."  
>"Are you sure?"<br>"You want the truth?"  
>"Yeah."<br>"No. No, Billie, I'm not sure. I wanted to make you feel better about everything."

They drove along down the highway in a somewhat comfortable silence, and Billie rubbed his arm, trying to relax him.

"Thank you for trying to make me feel better."  
>"You're welcome. Did it work?"<br>"A little bit. You don't need to do that though. I'd rather know the truth."  
>"You would?"<br>"Yeah. I'm your wife. You can tell me things."

He pulled off the highway into a parking lot and stopped the car. He unbuckled his seatbelt before leaning over and unbuckling hers. One of the twins kicked and she took his hands and laid them on her abdomen. She kissed him softly, not pulling away when he deepened the kiss. She toyed with the buttons on his shirt, and he started to undo the ones on her blouse. He undid the clasp on her bra, gently cupping her breasts. She remembered that they were in a parking lot as he started to unbutton her skirt, and she playfully batted his hands away. He pouted, pulling her on to his lap.

"Why'd you stop? It's safe! Your doctor said it was!"  
>"I know. I'd just rather not get arrested for indecent exposure. Besides, we've got to talk about your mother."<br>"Oh. This is more fun, but okay, I guess."

He rubbed her belly and she let out a happy sigh, choosing not to comment on the fact that her blouse only had one button holding it closed. He continued to speak.

"I think Mom went off her meds right around when you got pregnant. Over the summer, she went back on them, but she started to drink a bit more. She's cleaning again. She knows, the doctor said, that she's not supposed to drink on the pills, or stress herself out, but she is. Dad thinks Mom's fine. Like he did the last time. And the time before that. And the time before that."

Steven trailed off and Billie handed him a tissue. He kissed the nape of her neck, which sent tingles down her spine. She rubbed his hands with hers, trying to comfort him.

"It's okay to cry, honey. You can cry. It's alright."

She straddled him and began to wipe away some of his tears. He gave her a slight smile as the twins moved. She moved closer to him, giggling slightly.

"The twins are kicking."  
>"I know they are. They're trying to make you happy again."<br>"They'll always make me happy. No matter what."

He placed his hands on her abdomen and she felt the twins move towards them.

"I know. Do you want to finish driving home?"  
>"Yeah."<p>

Billie gave him another kiss. She climbed off his lap, re-buttoning her shirt before she buckled her seatbelt. Steven drove back on to the highway. They held hands as they drove, and she felt a sense of relief. Not, of course, because Alice was completely insane, but because she knew what was going on.

"Thanks for telling me."  
>"You're welcome. I'll apologize to your parents and Janet and Mike."<br>"You don't need to. About my parents, I mean. You should probably apologize to Mike, since he is your friend, and Janet, since she lives next door to them."  
>"I know. This just sucks."<br>"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll hear if something happens."

***

"Why do we have to be there?"  
>"Mom and Dad want to take a family portrait."<br>"At the _airport_?"  
>"I'm not the one who wants to, Jessica. I'd be perfectly happy to stay at home with Billie."<br>"They're making Billie go? Why? Mom and Dad know she's pregnant!"  
>"Because, unfortunately for her, she's part of the family now. Come on, it won't be that bad. You'll have a girl to talk to. At least they're not making Mike go."<br>"That's what you think. She remembered last Christmas."

Jessica shot him a pained, meaningful look. He had to remember, he just had to. Last Christmas had been a disaster. He and Mike had nearly died; Tom and Todd had almost gotten arrested after the fight at their reunion; and last Christmas had been when she'd told her parents-a look of recognition (and dawning horror) came over her brother's face.

"She thinks you two are still married?"  
>"Yes! And now Mike has to be in the picture!"<br>"Didn't you tell her you weren't?"  
>"Mike and I both tried! Elizabeth told her we were, so of course she believes her!"<br>"Want me to try?"

She shook her head, and gave him a hug.

"You don't need to."  
>"Mom thinks that you are married to your ex-husband!"<br>"Yeah, but you just got married and you're gonna be a dad soon and you should be focused on Billie and the twins and not have to worry about me."  
>"Jess, that's not true. Yeah, I mean I am gonna be spending a lot more time with Billie now and her and the twins once their born, but I can still help you out. You're my sister."<p>

He hugged her again, briefly, before letting her go.

"Okay. Can I come upstairs with you and see Billie?"  
>"Sure. She's just getting ready."<p>

Jessica followed her older brother back inside Misoma Apartments, not feeling that guilty about interrupting his run. She'd missed her sister-in-law. She followed him into his apartment, closing the door behind her, Billie, who had been washing the dishes, came out, hugging Steven first, then her.

"How are you feeling?"  
>"Good. A bit tired but pretty much okay. I had an appointment the other day, everything's fine. Your brother's taking good care of me."<p>

They sat together on the couch as Steven headed off to take a shower,

"I'm glad. How are the twins?"  
>"They're good. Kicking up a storm."<p>

Her sister-in-law took her hand and placed it on her abdomen, and they felt the babies move.

"They're playing together! Did you find out the sex?"

Billie nodded, picking up a picture from an ultrasound and showing it to her.

"This is Baby Girl "A" and Baby Girl "B"."  
>"Wow. You're excited, aren't you?"<br>"Of course! Your brother and I are thrilled. I'm glad I decided to keep them. Already they're making us so happy."  
>"Are you gonna tell your friends that?"<br>"They're not my friends. Real friends don't suck."  
>"I'm your friend."<br>"Thanks, Jess."

Jessica hugged her again, wincing as she burst into tears.

"What's wrong, Billie? You shouldn't cry, you don't want to smudge your makeup."

Much to her surprise, she cracked a smile, wiping away her tears.

"You're right, Jess. I'm so hormonal right now, that's all. I wish we didn't have to go today."  
>"I know."<br>"Is my makeup still okay?"  
>"Yeah. It looks pretty. You look pretty. I like your dress."<br>"Thanks. We have to go shopping soon, though. Sound like a plan?"  
>"We'll make a day out of it-if you can handle it."<br>"I think I'll be able to. These little guys keep me awake. They're pretty active."

"She thinks they're still married? Why does she think that?"  
>"Because she is insane."<p>

Steven and Billie walked ahead of Jessica and Mike, furiously debating the merits of telling his mother the truth.

"She needs to know! Is she mad?"  
>"I don't know!"<br>"I cannot believe your sister! Why does Elizabeth think it's okay to say such things?"  
>"I don't know."<p>

(By furiously debating, he really meant that he was letting his pregnant wife take her annoyance at his family out on him, rather than on anybody else.)

"Should I speak to her?"  
>"Huh?"<br>"Should I speak to Elizabeth?"  
>"About what?"<br>"I dunno. To say goodbye."  
>"Well, sure, I guess. You can do whatever you wanna."<br>"Do you think she'll ask to feel the twins?"

She shot him a hopeful look, and he shook his head. He kissed her softly, pulling her into a hug.

"I don't think so, babe. You could try, if you wanted to."

She smiled, sadly.

"I figured as much. Thanks for being honest."  
>"I'm sorry."<br>"Don't be. It's not your fault. You didn't ask her to be a bitch."  
>"Hey, I'll feel the twins. Are they kicking?"<p>

He reached out and caressed her abdomen.

"Not right now. But don't stop, that feels good."  
>"It doesn't hurt you?"<br>"Oh, honey, no. You could never hurt me. Come, we'll sit down and wait for your sister and Mike."

They sat on a bench, which he could tell she found slightly uncomfortable, so he patted his lap, letting her sit on it. She bounced lightly, and he caressed her belly some more, knowing full well that their twins would liven up the tedium of the airport if they moved.

"Where are they?"  
>"I dunno."<br>"Oh, honestly1 Does she want Mom to have a conniption?"  
>"I highly doubt being early will do anything to increase your mother's sanity. Besides, isn't that them over there?"<p>

Steven did a double take at Jessica and Mike's appearances. Apparently, during the brief period of time that they'd been apart, they'd managed to find matching day-glow Disneyland hats, and matching neon shirts-worse still, they matched. Beside him, Billie giggled, trying to maintain a straight face.

"What are you two wearing?"  
>"We're so much in love, according to Mom, that we have to match, Steve!"<br>"You look like you got dipped in sorbet! Both of you!"  
>"It's on purpose, big brother!"<br>"Oh, all right. Come on, let's go."

He helped Billie up, wrapping an arm around her waist. He finally felt one of their girls moving and he grinned widely, kissing her on the top of her head.

"You just had to mention sorbet, didn't you? Now I want ice cream!"  
>"There's a Baskin-Robbins over there. Go get some."<br>"Are you sure?"  
>"Of course. Get whatever you want, just get me a scoop of chocolate chip. Jess can get something too."<p>

Jessica followed Billie across the aisle to the ice cream stand, while he and Mike stayed behind.

"Can I ask you a question?"  
>"Sure."<br>"Is it true? What people say about pregnancy sex?"  
>"It's good. Don't get any ideas, Mike."<br>'I wasn't going to! I was just wondering!"  
>"Okay, I have a question. Why on earth are you letting my mother think the two of you are married?"<br>"I dunno. It seemed easier than trying to force the truth to her."  
>"Fair enough."<br>"Sometimes Jess and I can hear the two of you getting at it."

Steven smirked, watching his wife order their ice cream.

"Payback for you and Jessica."  
>"Okay, you win. Jess is happy."<br>"About the twins? Yeah, I know."

The girls came back over, Billie enjoying her ice cream cone in a rather tantalizing way. She handed him his ice cream, kissing him.

"What were you guys talking about?"  
>"You."<p>

He knew that was the right answer when she beamed, squeezing him tightly.

"I love you. You're the best."  
>"I love you too, sweetie. You ready to take the picture?"<br>"Not really. We might as well get it over with."

***

"Oh, God, she's doing a double dip!"  
>"Mike, don't be crude. Mom and Mr. Patman are just friends."<br>"Not them, Steven, Liz and T one and T two. '

Mike pointed, and Steven blanched. His other 'sister-in-law' was posing proudly with both Tom Watts and Todd Wilkins, staring at both of them lovingly. He hadn't even noticed Mrs. Wakefield and her paramour.

"Oh, God, EW! Dear, Lord, what happened? Mom? What is going on?"

His 'brother-in-law' was sputtering, and Mrs. Wakefield glided towards them, a beatific smile on her face.

"Elizabeth has decided to become 'special friends' with Thomas and Todd! Isn't that marvelous?"  
>"She's dating the both of them?"<br>"Well, I suppose, if you want to be such a Debby downer about it! I think it's romantic."  
>"You what?"<br>"Well, at least she didn't have to get married, dear. Or get married in Las Vegas."  
>"Take that back, Ma! You take that back!"<p>

Mrs. Wakefield shook her head.

"It's true. You had to marry Billie, and Jessica had a trashy wedding. It's refreshing, really, that Liz is different. No offense meant to either of you."  
>"You ran from the altar!"<br>"I did not!"  
>"Yeah, you did! Didn't she, Mr. Patman? Didn't she run out on you and humiliate you in front of all your friends and family?"<p>

Mrs. Wakefield's male friend nodded and she herself smiled benignly, enveloping an unsuspecting Steven in a hug. His best friend looked unamused. Billie was pulled into the hug, too, and the look on her face reminded Mike that he should never piss off a pregnant woman. Jessica noticed too.

"Don't squeeze her like that! She doesn't like it! You have to ask!"  
>"Oh."<br>"God, Mom! You don't even like Billie, do you?"  
>"Of course I do, dear. She's going to give me grandchildren. Sure, she did cause your brother to further disgrace our family by-"<br>"Mom, shut up!"  
>"Jessica Catherine Wakefield, we do not say shut up! "<br>"Then just leave her alone!"  
>"You'll end up just like her!"<br>"You're a bitch, Mom! Just go to Hell!"

Jessica ran off and Mrs. Wakefield simply waved goodbye to her. He followed her, and Billie accompanied him. They could hear Steven and Mr. Patman yelling at his 'mother-in-law'.

It was unfortunate that neither of them knew where Jessica had gone.

"Billie, you're okay, right?"  
>"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm a bit upset and a bit hormonal but I'm okay. I think I see Jessica."<p>

Indeed, his 'wife' was sitting on a bench, a sour look on her face.

"What should I say to her?"  
>"Want me to do it? The twins are awake. She'll want to feel 'em."<br>"Will you?"  
>"Of course."<p>

She smiled at him and they walked over to his ex-wife, who offered them both a weak smile. He and Billie sat on opposite sides of her, and Billie took one of her hands and pressed it on her abdomen.

"Jess, are you okay?"

She smiled at him.

"I guess. I was just upset 'cause Mom could've hurt Billie."  
>"I know. That's why we followed you."<br>"I'm okay, though. Mom woke up my nieces, even though she didn't mean to, and that makes me happy. Steven and Billie said that the twins already think I'm a great aunt."  
>"You are, Jess."<p>

She beamed, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek. Billie spoke.

"You want to feel, Mike. I like it when people feel."  
>"Steven won't mind?"<br>"No, he won't. Come on, please?"  
>"Okay."<p>

***

Billie had fallen asleep by the apartment complex's pool, sprawled out on a lounge chair, when Jessica came across her, accompanied by Lila Fowler.

"Billie?"

She opened her eyes, sitting up. Her sister-in-law gave her a hug, which she returned, not saying a word when she perched on the end of her chair. Lila stood there, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Hey, Jess, Li. What's up?"

Lila sighed.

"We say Mrs. Wakefield and Mr. Patman… together in the Patmans' pool house. I had gone over to visit Bruce, and-"

Jessica continued.

"-Mom was making out with his dad! It was awful! She kept calling him Hankers! What do you think I should do?"

She closed her magazine, recognizing that her sister-in-law actually wanted her help.

"Oh, Jess. I don't know. I think I'd just leave it alone for now."  
>"Okay."<br>"Do you guys wanna go in the pool for a bit?"  
>"Sure! If you don't mind, that is."<br>"No, I don't mind. It'll be fun."  
>"But you were sleeping!"<br>"Oh, Jess. It'll be fun. The babies like to kick in the water."  
>"Okay. I'll be right back."<p>

She and Lila watched Jessica skip into the entrance to the complex. She slipped off her cover up, covering her abdomen self-consciously. Steven had told her that she looked beautiful in her two piece, but she still thought it was slightly too revealing.

"Jessica said that you're having twins."  
>"Yeah. Two girls."<br>"Congratulations. When are you due?"  
>"Around Christmas."<br>"That's great. You look good."  
>"Thanks."<br>"Jess is happy."  
>"I know. So is Steven."<br>"I know."  
>"They're kicking, if you'd like to feel."<br>"Really? I've never felt-Jess says it feels cool."  
>"I know. She's gonna be a great aunt."<p>

Lila placed her hand on her abdomen, and she moved it, positioning it to where the babies were nudging each other (and her). She motioned for Jessica to come over, and she let her feel too.

"What did you guys do?"  
>"We talked and I'm letting Lila feel the babies."<br>"The twins are always kicking."  
>"Well, not always. But they do like to kick when there's people to feel them."<br>"Where's Steven?"  
>"He's at work. He'll be home soon."<p>

She slipped into the pool, while both her companions sat on the edge. Frankly, she was still stunned that Lila had deigned to even dip her feet in the apartment complex's pool-though she supposed the thought of Alice in a bathing suit had been enough. Jessica hopped into the water, splashing her lightly.

"Come on, Li."  
>"I'm coming…"<p>

She turned her attention back to her, splashing some water on her abdomen. The twins moved in response.

"I bet the twins miss their daddy when he's at work, don't they?"  
>"They seem to. Don't tell your brother, though. He feels guilty enough."<p>

Her sister-in-law hugged her.

"He shouldn't feel guilty. You guys are already good parents."


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey, babymamacakes, how was your trip to the mall? Did you and Jess have fun?"  
>"Babymamacakes?"<p>

Billie giggled, standing on her tiptoes, and she kissed Steven, leaning against him. He rubbed her back.

"Yeah. Does it bother you?"  
>"No. I like your nicknames for me. Yes, we had fun at the mall. Jessica bought some stuff for the babies."<br>"She did? Can I see?"  
>"Yeah. Come on."<p>

She lead him into the bedroom, where she'd laid out both her new clothes and the things her sister-in-law had insisted on buying (with her own money and not Alice's emergency credit card) for the twins. He surveyed the baby clothes, which she'd made a pathetic attempt at organizing.

"She bought all this?"  
>"Yeah. She wanted to."<br>"Wow. That was nice of her."  
>"I know. She said that she likes to buy stuff for the twinsies because they're her only nieces and she's not gonna have kids anytime soon."<br>"And that's relieving."

She smiled at him as he massaged her abdomen. Both the twins kicked in response.

"You don't wanna be "Uncle Steven" any time soon?"  
>"I just wanna focus on being a daddy right now."<p>

He pulled her closer.

"Mmm. You're a good one."  
>"Huh? The twins aren't even born yet."<br>"I know. But, you are a good daddy. Why don't you trust me?"  
>"I believe you. It's just that…"<br>"What?"  
>"You'll think I'm being stupid."<br>"No, I won't. Tell me."  
>"I'm afraid that I'll miss stuff with them. I'll be at school and work all the time. I'm scared."<br>"Oh, Steven…Don't be scared. You're great, babe. You're gonna be great with the twins once they're born. You won't be gone all the time."

She pulled him close, kissing him on the lips.

"You really think so?"  
>"Yeah. You've been an awesome daddy. Since the day we found out I was pregnant. Since before that, even. You made me eat ice chips that time I was really sick, remember?"<br>"Yeah. That was the day you told me you thought you were pregnant."  
>"I was so scared. And you went out and got me a pregnancy test, and when it was positive you sat beside me and told me that you wanted us to have the baby and that everything would be okay and that me being pregnant wouldn't change anything between us. So don't tell me you're not a good daddy. Okay?"<br>"Okay."  
>"And I have a car, I'll bring the twins to campus to see you if you want. And to Sweet Valley."<p>

His arms tightened around her waist, and the twins moved some more. He grinned at her."

"I think they like that idea. They must wanna spend some time with Grandma Alice and Grandpa Ned."  
>"No, they wanna spend some time with their daddy. They love you, Steve. See, right now, they're kicking where your hands are."<br>"Aw. You're right. You know, you could come up to Sweet Valley one day and we could go out to lunch, if you want to."  
>"Like a date?"<br>"Yeah. I'll take you on a date."  
>"I'd like that."<br>"Okay. Where do you wanna go?"  
>"Steven, you asked me on a date. You get to pick the place. I trust you."<br>"You have any special cravings?"  
>"Mmm. Right now, I want sorbet. We have some, though."<br>"I'll get it for you. Why don't we cuddle on the couch together for a little and you can have your sorbet?"  
>"We can share."<br>"Well, then, we can have our sorbet."

She sat on the couch, waiting for him to bring out the sorbet and sit next to her, and she casually eyed the classical guitar that was gathering dust on the floor next to the entertainment unit. She'd really been meaning to try and sell the stupid thing, after all, they needed the money more than she needed a fun little reminder of the past year at SVU. Besides, she didn't want to play anymore. There was really no point.

Steven sat beside her, and she took her bowl from him, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thank you."  
>"For what?"<br>"I dunno. Staying in and eating sorbet with me."  
>"You're welcome. What else would I do? I like to spend time with you."<br>"You could hang out with your friends from the law fraternity?"  
>"Nah. I'm not doing that anymore. It's not fun."<br>"Oh. Well, you could go out with Mike. Go out to a bar or something."  
>"I could, but I don't want to, tonight. Besides, he and Jessica are at dinner at my parents' house."<br>"How nice of them to invite us."  
>"They want to get to know Jessica's "husband" better. Besides, I'd rather stay here with you and just relax."<br>"I'd rather stay here with you too. God, we're one of those married couples that stays in all the time, aren't we?"  
>"I'd rather be one of them than be like my parents. Besides, I like what we have. I like us. I love you. And I love our girls."<br>"Aw. I love you too, and so do they."  
>"Have you thought of any names yet?"<br>"Steven, I'm a girl. I've been planning my wedding and the names of my children since I was in kindergarten. Of course, all those names are outdated and I wanted a wedding dress like Becky from Full House, so I think we should come up with some together."  
>"Okay. I'll think of some. You trust me?"<br>"Of course I do. I know you're not going to make up a name or pick something trendy."  
>"Wow. Thanks."<br>"You're welcome. Steven?"  
>"Yeah?"<p>

He'd moved his hand to the small of her back, and she let him give her a massage.

"I'm kinda scared too."  
>"Aw, Bil, don't be. You're a great mom."<br>"You really think so?"  
>"Of course I do. Come on, what's really bothering you?"<p>

She somehow decided that bursting into tears was an appropriate response to the question, and he let her cry, holding her closely and rocking back and forth.

"I'm sorry, Steven, I just can't help it. I only have one sister, and I never, ever, ever see her, and she's older than me and I've never really been around babies before and I'm just scared I'll mess up, okay? You were around the twins when you were younger."  
>"Oh. Honey, no. You're gonna know exactly what to do once the twins are born. I promise."<br>"You do?"  
>"Yeah."<p>

He wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"Thank you, Steven. Sorry I started to cry."  
>"It's okay. You're pregnant. You can cry. You can cry even if you're not pregnant, too. I messed that up, didn't I?"<br>"Oh, Steven, no. You didn't mess anything up. It's cute when you worry."

She laid her head on his shoulder before starting to eat her bowl of sorbet, again.

"Aren't you afraid the twins are gonna kick that off?"  
>"Oh, no, they're not that strong yet. Besides, they seem to like the cold. They like the pool and the beach, after all."<br>"Yeah, 'cause it relaxes you."  
>"Well so does sorbet."<br>"Mmm. You've got some right here, babe."

He gently wiped the sorbet off her chin.

"That's her, Steven. That's that bitch, Tracy."  
>"Whom, Jess?"<br>"That woman over there. The one who tried to get Billie to get rid of the twins."  
>"Chas' sister?"<br>"Yeah."  
>"How do you know?"<br>"Because I know what she looks like, okay? I'm gonna say something."  
>"No, you're not. If Billie wants to do something about it, she will, okay?"<br>"Okay. Can I wake her up?"  
>"Nah, Jess, let her sleep. She'll wake up soon enough."<br>"Can I try to see if the twins are up?"

Steven hesitated, but Billie let out a snore, so he shrugged.

"Go ahead. Just please try to let Billie sleep."  
>"I will. Hi twinsies. Are you awake?"<br>"They can't really hear yet-they like to respond to touch, though."  
>"Really?"<br>"Yeah. Want me to show you?"  
>"Uh-huh."<p>

He knelt beside his wife, who was sound asleep on top of the blanket they'd brought to the beach with them, and he gently rubbed her abdomen, which got a response from one of the twins. He reckoned that the other one was taking a nap, just like her mommy. He motioned to Jessica to give him her hand, and she hesitated slightly.

"What's the matter? I thought you wanted to feel 'em."  
>"I do! Are you sure Billie won't get mad?"<br>"Yeah. Come on."

His kid sister pressed her hands against his wife's belly, right when the baby had kicked before, and her face lit up with a grin.

"I felt one of them!"  
>"Yeah, the other one's asleep, I think. Or maybe she's just chillin' in there for a bit."<br>"I invited Mike. He said he'd be down after he fixes a car."  
>"That's good."<br>"Are you sure Billie won't mind?"  
>"What? You feeling the babies?"<br>"Yeah."  
>"No, she won't mind. I mean, you can wait until she gets up to feel if you're really nervous."<br>"Okay."

She removed her hand from Billie's abdomen, and he sighed, wishing that his sister believed them that it was okay to feel, even if Billie was asleep. He shut his eyes, lying beside her, his arm covering her protectively. She stirred, and he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She sat up, stretching. During the five minutes he'd laid beside her, his sister had managed to disappear.

"Hey, cutie. Did you sleep well?"  
>"Yeah. Where did Jessica go?"<br>"I think she went to see if Mike was here."  
>"Oh. I thought she was feelin' the twins."<br>"She was. But she thought you'd be bothered if she felt them when you were asleep."  
>"Oh. I wouldn't have been."<br>"I know."

A commotion began to develop, one that sounded like Jessica and Mike arguing, and they exchanged a glance.

"I was just gonna talk to her, Mike!"  
>"Oh, you were not. You were going to start something."<br>"Brezinski started it first! She tried to convince Billie-she's a bitch, Mike. She and Chas both suck!"  
>"I just don't think that attacking her is the right answer!"<br>"I just wanted her to see that Billie's happy being pregnant with the twins, that's all!"

Billie stood up, and she walked over to Jessica and Mike, and he watched her and his sister hug.

"Thanks, Jess. You don't have to, though. I appreciate it, but I don't wanna get you arrested or something. Come on, let's go make your brother and Mike treat us to ice cream."  
>"Really?"<br>"Yeah, the twins want mint chocolate chip."

He was already walking over to them, knowing full well that she hadn't really intended it to be a suggestion, more of a command, and he was really quite relieved that she herself wasn't threatening harm to Chas and his moronic sister-so he would gladly buy her as large an ice cream as she wanted.

"Steven, Billie's having a craving."  
>"I know. The twins love ice cream."<br>"They do?"

She shot Billie a questioning look.

"Yeah, Jess. They do. Come have a feel as we walk."

They walked ahead of him and Mike, and he let out a sigh.

"How was dinner at my parents?"  
>"How did you know about that?"<br>"Mom told me. She also told me that she wants to buy the twins a Unicorn after they're born, but Jessica confirmed that the dinner actually happened."  
>"It was okay. What's wrong with your mother?"<br>"Huh?"  
>"Look, Jess, doesn't want to talk about this, but she seems a bit…off."<br>"Seems? A bit?"  
>"Look, don't tell your sister this, but I think your mother is kinda nuts."<p>

He resisted doubling over from laughter. His mother, a bit off? Kinda nuts? His mother had been full blown off the rails insane for years now.

"Don't worry. I won't."  
>"Okay. Why does she think Jessica's still married to me?"<br>"Because she's crazy."  
>"Shh! Don't let Jess hear you! She doesn't want you to worry needlessly while Billie's pregnant."<br>"Worry? Hah! Mom's harmless. She just tries to self-medicate with booze and cleaning is all."

His wife suddenly appeared beside them, and she kissed him on the cheek.

"I thought you were with Jess and that she was feeling our girlies?"  
>"She was. But I wanted to see what was taking you so long."<br>"You want your ice cream, don't you?"  
>"Yeah. 'Specially since I am carrying both of our children and they're currently having a kicking competition they want their daddy to feel."<br>"A competition? They shouldn't compete…."  
>"It's probably boring in there if they don't. Come on, feel 'em."<br>"Okay."

Mike had joined Jessica up ahead, but he concentrated on rubbing her abdomen, enjoying the slight motions he felt. She beamed, her hand joining his.

"I told you they were playing nicely!"  
>"I know. They're moving a lot, now."<br>"They've been moving a lot-it's just that you can feel 'em more now because they're bigger."  
>"I love you. And I love them."<p>

He kissed her forehead, drawing her close.

"Aw. I love you, too."  
>"Wanna get your ice cream, now?"<br>"Yeah. Come on, who knows where Chas and Tracy went-I doubt Mike can hold your sister off once she gets an idea in her head"  
>"Yeah."<p>

"Biggest sibling is Billie home?"  
>"Yeah, Jess. Come in. You looking forward to school starting again soon?"<p>

Jessica pulled a face, and she shook her head. She dreaded going back to school. She didn't want to face the Thetas, not the least because she was living with Mike again and she realized that they were being awful about it; or because she wasn't looking forward to having to pick a major; or because she was sick of hauling down to Sweet Valley every day to make sure their mother was taking her medications.

"Not really. Are you?"  
>"Eh, kind of. Have you heard from Elizabeth?"<br>"No. I don't like her anymore and she hasn't called."  
>"Okay. Come in."<p>

She followed him into his and Billie's apartment, and into the living room, where she was laying on the couch, watching some program on the television.

"Babe, Jessica's here to see you."  
>"Hey, Jess. Wanna sit here and watch Golden Girls with me?"<p>

She sat up, patting the cushion next to her, and Jessica nodded, crossing the room to sit next to her sister in law.

"Sorry I haven't been by lately, I've been kinda busy."  
>"That's okay, Jess. I understand."<br>"How are you feeling?"

Billie smiled at her, resting her hand on her abdomen, and she gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm feeling pretty good. Your brother and I were actually in Sweet Valley today. I had a doctor's appointment."  
>"You did? Are the babies okay?"<br>"Yeah. It was just a normal checkup. We got to see them, though. We got pictures."  
>"I wanna see!"<br>"Okay. I'll go get them."  
>"I can do it."<br>"Jess, I'm pregnant, not an invalid. Fine, you wanna?"  
>"Uh-huh."<br>"Okay, they're in my purse. You can just bring it over for me. It's on the kitchen table. Thanks, Jess."  
>"You're welcome."<p>

She walked into the kitchen, where her big brother was typing something out on his laptop. The old Jessica would've snooped over his shoulder, but she decided to not do that, deciding instead to just grab Billie's purse, which her brother had moved to the counter. He cleared his throat.

"Yes, biggest sibling?"  
>"Thanks for being happy about the twins."<br>"You're welcome. Whatcha doing?"  
>"Finishing a couple emails for work. I'll come out soon."<br>"Okay."

She left the kitchen and returned to the living room. She handed the purse to her sister-in-law, who opened it and pulled out a sheet of photographs.

"See, Jess? This one is baby girl 'A' and that one's baby girl 'B'. The doctor said that everything's going well. We also got to hear their heartbeats."  
>"That must've been cool."<br>"Do you want to come to my next ultrasound?"  
>"Can I? Please?"<br>"I think we can work something out."  
>"Yay!"<br>"What's your brother doing?"  
>"He's just finishing some work emails. He said he'd be out in a minute."<br>"Okay. Thanks, Jess."  
>"You're welcome."<p>

The show was on, but neither of them were really watching, and she really wanted to see if her nieces were moving, but she didn't want to put Billie on the spot.

"What, do you wanna feel?"  
>"A little bit."<br>"Come on. You can even rest your head on my belly and feel that way, if you want. Steven does that."  
>"Yeah but he's their dad."<br>"You can do it too. I'm their mommy. I get to decide who's allowed to touch them or not-and you can."  
>"Well, okay. Tell me if I hurt you, though."<br>"You won't."

Jessica laid on the couch and rested her head on Billie's abdomen, and the twins kicked, and it felt different than from how they usually felt. Her sister-in-law casually brushed her hair, and they stayed there, in silence. Steven came into the living room, interrupting their quiet.

"Babelicious, do you want something to drink? How about you, Jess?"

Her sister-in-law responded.

"Yeah, I'd like a Tab."  
>"Okay. Come on, let me feel the babies."<br>"Jess is feeling 'em."

She sat up, not wanting to upset her brother, or cause them to start a fight.

"You can feel, Steven. It's okay."  
>"Thanks, Jess. I'll be right back with your drinks."<br>"Can I have a diet coke?"  
>"Sure thing."<p>

She moved over, so that there would be room on the couch for her big brother, and she looked at her sister-in-law, who shot her a small smile. He returned, handing them both their cans of soda, and sat between them, slipping his arm around Billie. She took a sip of her drink.

He spoke, turning down the volume on the television.

"Did you know that you and Billie are gonna be in the same English class this term?"  
>"Yeah, I know. She told me."<p>

***  
><em><br>"Let's put the movie on pause," Billie suggested, sitting up on the couch so she could reach the remote control. She hit the stop button for the VCR and the movie disappeared, a local TV news program taking its place. "I mean, who are we kidding? We're not watching it!"_

_Steven lowered her back against the pile of throw pillows. "Speak for yourself," he teased as he pressed kisses all the way up her throat to her chin. "I haven't taken my eyes off the screen for a second."_

_Billie wrapped her arms around his waist and their lips met in another leisurely, delicious kiss. "Umm," Steven murmured, "I guess you're right. Who needs movies? Real-life love scenes are a lot more fun!"_

_"We've got to be careful not to steam up the windows too much, though," Billie said with a throaty laugh. "What'll your sisters think?"_

_Steven didn't really care. He couldn't focus on anything except how good it felt being there with Billie. "I wish we could stay like this forever," he told her, brushing a strand of hair back from her forehead. "I don't think I'd ever get tired of kissing you."_

_She smiled, playing with the buttons on his polo shirt. "You better not, buddy!"_

_Their mouths melted together in another kiss as hot as a forest fire. Steven closed his eyes, giving himself up to the magic. When Billie suddenly pushed him away, he blinked at her in surprise. "What's the matter?"_

_"Shh," Billie hissed, pointing at the TV. "Listen to this!"_

Steven groaned as he woke from his dream, realizing that there was a pounding, which sounded frantic, at his front door. He turned to look at his wife, relieved that she was sound asleep, hugging a pillow to her chest. He rubbed her shoulders briefly, before slipping out of bed. He slipped on a pair of sweatpants, and headed out of his bedroom, determined to get whomever it was to go away. He opened the front door, surprised to see Jessica and Mike standing there, dressed as if to go out.

"What-"  
>"Steven, Mom's done something awful!"<br>"Li-"  
>"She's been arrested! There was a car chase, and she destroyed the Buick that Dad bought from Mike's, and she hit an overpass and three police cars!"<br>"Wh-"  
>"I didn't want to tell you and Billie, but Mike said that I had to! He said that this has gone on long enough and that you need to know!"<br>"Jess-"  
>"Oh, please don't be mad at me, Steven! Please! I tried so hard to be mature and responsible-I wanted you and Billie to be proud of me!"<br>"Can I speak?"  
>"Of course."<br>"Look, Jess, thank you for telling me. Do you think that we can deal with this in the morning? Maybe?"  
>"The police want us to come to the hospital. They need to speak to Dad, but I don't know where he is. Where's Billie? I wanna talk to Billie."<br>"I'll go get her."

He admitted defeat, and he waved them both into his apartment. He watched them sit on the couch, before walking down the hallway and entering his bedroom. He sat on the bed beside his wife, and tenderly stroked her hair. She stirred, and he kissed her on the cheek. Of course his mother had to get herself involved in these scenarios in the middle of the night, while his father was on business, and while his wife was pregnant with twins.

"Bil? You wanna get up?"  
>"What time is it?"<br>"It's late, Bil. Look, my mom got herself in a bit of a fix, and Jessica and Mike are here, and Jessica's very upset-"  
>"Okay. I have to go to the bathroom, anyways. Tell her I'll be out in a minute."<br>"You feel okay?"

She sat up, resting a hand on her abdomen, and she nodded.

"Yeah. Don't worry about me right now. Go make sure your sister's okay."  
>"You sure you're alright?"<br>"Yes. Steven Wakefield, you're adorably pessimistic sometimes. I love it. I'll be right out, okay?"  
>"Okay, I guess."<br>"Can you help me up?"  
>"Of course."<p>

He helped her stand, pressing a kiss on the top of her head. She grinned, putting on her bathrobe, and he rubbed her abdomen, enjoying the fact that their twins were awake. She pulled away, slowly, and he pouted.

"Go out to the living room. I'll be right there. And put on a shirt."


	9. Chapter 9

"I hate the hospital."  
>"It'll be okay, Jessica. Come on, why don't we go for a walk."<br>"Where?"  
>"Around. We can go to the maternity ward, see the babies in the nursery. Get a coffee?"<br>"I want to go home. Why are Mike and Steven taking so long?"  
>"Your mother's been arrested. Come on, sweetie. We'll go see the babies and then get a coffee, okay? Let me just text your brother and tell him."<br>"Are you sure?"  
>"Very. You don't want to sit here, do you? It's boring."<br>"You took a nap."  
>"Yeah but my pillow's dealing with his stoned mother and the police right now. Besides, I'll milk the fact that we've been at Fowler Memorial Hospital for hours for all it's worth. Come on. I'll let you feel the twins."<br>"The whole time?"  
>"Sure. The whole time."<br>"Are they awake?"  
>"Yeah."<br>"Okay, I'll go on a walk with you and feel the twins!"  
>"That's a good girl."<p>

Billie was so relieved to finally leave the emergency waiting room, that she almost wanted to do a dance. Instead, she settled for walking as quickly as she could manage to the exit. Jessica followed, and she let her slip her arm around her waist, laying it on her abdomen to feel the babies kick. She was glad that her sister-in-law was excited about them.

"Have you two thought of any names?"  
>"We've discussed some."<br>"Like what?"  
>"Umm. Like Anastasia. Or Audrey. We're not quite sure yet."<br>"I like Anastasia, Billie. It's a pretty name for what's gonna be a pretty girl."  
>"Thanks, Jess. I picked it out."<br>"I know. Thanks for getting up and coming with us."  
>"You're welcome. I wouldn't have stayed at home."<p>

She moved Jessica's hand to another spot on her abdomen, where the babies had started to kick. She wanted to distract her sister-in-law from the fact that her mother was being arrested, and the twins were a somewhat effective way of doing so. She pulled out her cell phone and read the text her husband had sent in response to hers: _K. Just a few more minutes. Hope our girls are being good. Love u._ She practically beamed, and her sister-in-law noticed.

"Steven sent you a text, didn't he?"  
>"Yeah. He said they were almost done and that he hoped our girls were behaving."<br>"Are they?"  
>"Yeah. They're good. Wide awake, but good."<p>

They walked a bit longer, (they'd somehow ended up holding hands, but she didn't make an attempt to disengage), and her companion sighed, stopping abruptly.

"Billie? Can I tell you something?"  
>"Sure, Jess."<br>"I'm scared."  
>"I know."<br>"I dunno."  
>"Dad's not even here! He doesn't even know!"<br>"Do you want me to call him?"  
>"No. It'll stress you out. That's bad for the twins. I can do it."<br>"Are you sure?"  
>"No."<p>

She looked at her worriedly, realizing that she was crying, and Billie pulled Jessica into her arms, her maternal instincts taking over. She rubbed her back, not caring that her hot tears were soaking her shirt. She wondered how things had gotten so bad, so quickly.

Much to her relief, Steven and Mike soon arrived.

"Jess, honey, Steven and Mike are here. Do you want one of them to call your father?"  
>"Mhm."<br>"Okay, sweetie."

Jessica pulled away, attaching herself to Mike. She went over to Steven, kissing him.

"What happened to your shirt? Did your milk come in or something?"  
>"Well, I think it's starting to, but this is from your sister. She's quite upset."<br>"Thank you for staying at the hospital."  
>"You don't have to thank me. I'm your wife. I was worried about your mother too."<br>"Thank you."

They kissed again, and he caressed her abdomen, causing both of the twins to move to where their daddy's hands were. Despite all the stress, the drama, including the fact that Mike McAllery had to speak to Ned, he still took the time to interact with their babies. It made her so happy, it really did. She loved being pregnant. Despite all the apprehensions she'd had, so far it had been great. She'd really started to feel pregnant, which was to be expected, but he made her feel beautiful, especially when she was least expecting it. She inched closer to him, his strong hands covering her abdomen, and she giggled. He smiled, kissing her on the lips.

"I love you. Thanks for making me feel good about the twins and about being pregnant."  
>"Oh, you're welcome. Come on, why don't we go home."<br>"Your mother-"  
>"It's okay. She'll be alright. We can go for breakfast or something."<br>"And get chocolate chip pancakes?"  
>"Sure."<br>"And hot chocolate?"  
>"Sure."<br>"With whipped cream?"  
>"Yeah. I think we can get you something like that. You wanna invite Jessica and Mike?"<br>"Yeah. Your sister needs to take her mind off your mother for a bit."  
>"Okay. You sit. I'll go ask them."<p>

She sat in the chair, covering her abdomen protectively, and she watched her husband talk to Jessica and Mike. She checked him out, since, as usual, she was more than a little bit turned on due to her pregnancy hormones. She was so distracted from watching her (incredibly sexy) husband, that she didn't even notice that Bruce Patman had sat in the seat beside her, an uncomfortable expression on his face. She shot him a polite smile, unsure why he was there. Soon, she got her answer, in the form of an unamused Lila Fowler.

"I cannot believe your father, Bruce. Why are we stuck doing his dirty work?"  
>"What happened?"<p>

If Bruce and Lila got mad at her asking, she'd pull the pregnant with twins and bored card. However, Lila smiled at her, and she relaxed.

"Bruce's father is making us go see how Mrs. Wakefield is doing. But, I'd rather find out how you are. How are you feeling?"  
>"Me? Pretty good. The babies are getting bigger. Thanks for asking."<br>"You're welcome. I heard about that incident with your parents at the Wakefields house."  
>"You did?"<br>"Yes. Janet told me."  
>"Oh. I thought the two of you didn't speak."<br>"We do. She said she was worried about you, that you'd been really upset."  
>"Yeah. I was. My parents aren't happy that Steven and I are having the twins."<p>

She rubbed her belly, trying not to think of how mean her parents had been.

"Why aren't they?"  
>"'Cause they're mad I got pregnant out of wedlock- they think that I planned the pregnancy."<br>"Why should it matter to them? You're married-and even if you weren't you were engaged-and your parents could have always told people that you were married and that the pregnancy was planned."  
>"They don't like Steven, either."<br>"Why don't they?"  
>"I dunno."<br>"Well, I think that you'll be a good mom. And that you should ignore your parents."  
>"Thanks."<br>"You're welcome. Steven's really happy, I think."  
>"You do?"<br>"Yeah. Look at him. He's looking at you."

"I'm still gonna get my chocolate chip pancakes, Steven. And my hot chocolate with the whipped cream."  
>"You are?"<br>"Yeah. I'm really craving them. Where are Jess and Mike?"  
>"Talking to Bruce. How was your chat with Lila?"<p>

Steven brushed a tendril of hair out of Billie's face, cupping her face with his hands. Their lips met in a delicious kiss, which he deepened, enjoying the soft moans she was letting out. He kissed her again, only pulling away because he didn't want Mike to make thinly veiled comments about pregnancy sex with his mother potentially in earshot. Not to mention his kid sister and two of her friends. He gave her another brief kiss, pulling her into a hug.

"It was nice. She told me not to listen to what my parents have said about the twins."  
>"Listen to her. She's really surprising wise. Especially about this."<br>"I know. Do you think I look pretty?"  
>"Hot."<br>"What?"  
>"You look hot. You always look hot."<br>"You mean it? Thanks."

She beamed., laying her hands on her abdomen, which made her pregnancy more noticeable, and he leaned over, gently kissing her belly. He kept his head pressed against her abdomen, content to feel the motions of their twins in a different way. She ran her fingers through his hair and they stayed there, just the four of them.

"How are you feeling? You doing okay?"  
>"Yeah. The girls play like this all the time. They are kickin' a bit more, though, 'cause you're feelin' my belly."<br>"It feels cool. You know what I mean?"  
>"Yeah. I love you."<p>

He grabbed her hand, kissing it, and he held it tightly.

"I love you too. Thanks for becoming my wife."  
>"You're welcome."<p>

Steven returned to his seat, content for the moment to simply feel the twins with his hands, because he knew she didn't really like people staring at her, especially at her abdomen, where her pregnancy was mostly showing. His phone vibrated, and he opened it, reading the text from his kid sister. _Mom wants to see you guys._ He sighed, standing.

"Mom wants to see us, but you can stay here if you want."  
>"No, I'll come."<br>"You sure?"  
>"Yeah. I think Jess might need me, you know?"<br>"Yeah. You've been good to her, babe. She likes the twins. And you're a good influence."  
>"Me?"<br>"Yeah. Trust me. You are. Besides, I think Mom wants to feel the twins."

She smiled, clearly happy that his mother might want to feel their babies. He picked up her bag, helping her up. They started to walk down the hall towards his mother's room, and she squeezed his arm supportively.

"Everything's gonna be fine. We can visit with your mom and then we can go out to breakfast, like you promised."  
>"Of course."<p>

The scene inside his mother's hospital room was one Steven Wakefield had honestly never seen in all of his twenty-one years. Bruce Patman and Lila Fowler sat in the hard uncomfortable chairs around his mother's bed, while Jessica was (for some bizarre reason) being hugged protectively by Mike, and his darling mother was actually flirting with the officer that had come to arrest her! Steven had caught his name-Rick Rocks, or something similar-and he was most certainly unamused by one Alice Wakefield's actions. What had gotten into his mother? Couldn't she have dealt with Elizabeth being gone by cleaning, or something that didn't nearly get people killed and her in a hospital bed? He supposed such logic hadn't occurred to her. He sat on the foot of her bed, and Billie sat on his lap. Bruce made an offer of his chair, and she shook her head.

"It's okay, Bruce. Steven's more comfortable. Thanks, though."

He had a feeling Bruce had been trying to leave gracefully, but he daren't say anything. The tension in the room was palpable, but his mother didn't care.

"Steven, dear, did you know that it's illegal to drive under the influence?"  
>"Yes, Mom."<br>"Oh. Silly me! Did you know that Nicky here like-likes your sister?"  
>"Nicky?"<br>"Yes, this nice man in the uniform! It's a pity that she and Michael are married, isn't it?"

He didn't say a word, once he saw the expressions on Mike and Jessica's faces.

"It's a pity, Mom."  
>"Isn't it, dear? And how are you feeling, Billie?"<p>

He nudged her, and she responded, slightly shocked Alice had asked the question.

"I'm fine, Alice. Fine. Do you want to feel the babies?"  
>"Well, sure, I guess. Why don't I give it a try?"<p>

Billie moved closer to his mother, and she took her hand in hers, laying them on her abdomen.

"These are your granddaughters, Alice. They're happy to meet you."  
>"They're kicking!"<br>"I know. They're saying hi to you."  
>"They are?"<br>"Yes. I think maybe you should get some rest."  
>"Okay, dear!"<p>

She shot him a pointed look, and he stood, giving his mother a brief hug. He then helped his wife up, and they followed his sister and their best friend out the door. (Bruce and Lila had escaped when his mother was distracted by the twins.) He closed the door behind them, relieved that that had gone somewhat well.

"Can we go out to breakfast now?"  
>"Sure, honey. You've been a good girl. You hungry?"<br>"A bit. I just wanna get out of here. Who knows when we'll have another chance?"  
>"Okay. Come on, Mike, Jess. Let's get outta here." <p>

"Thanks for taking us out to breakfast, Billie."  
>"You're welcome. Thank your brother. It was his idea."<br>"Okay, I will. Thank you, Steven!"

Jessica sat in the car next to Billie, happy that her sister-in-law had agreed to sit with her and not in the front with Steven, and she gave her a hug, wanting more than anything to be able to feel her nieces. Anastasia. It was a nice name, and she'd even consider it for one of her future, hypothetical, children if Billie didn't use it. She thought that it was cool that she was going to be an aunt. Especially since they'd gotten close over the past few months, with Elizabeth not speaking to either of them, and she liked it. She'd never really thought that Billie was her friend before. She was always Steven's cool older girlfriend, who had the gall to sneak into her brother's bedroom when they stayed over during breaks, and who lived with him in their very own apartment-she'd thought it was so romantic when she'd figured it out-and she was so much more mature than her. She winced when she thought about that rave they'd thrown-they'd taken advantage of their hospitality and she knew it. And throughout her senior year at SVH, she'd taken advantage of Steven belonging to a fraternity to go parade around with her friends at SVU, hell, during her freshman year she'd been the worst she'd ever been, hiding her relationship with Mike from everyone and then insisting Billie and Steven have a huge wedding, even though it was upsetting her. But, over the course of the summer, something had changed. She'd matured, and developed an interest in her unborn nieces, and Billie had encouraged her friendship. She liked it, a lot.

"Thanks for being my friend, Billie."  
>"Oh, you're welcome. Thanks for being my friend."<br>"You're welcome too. How are you feeling?"  
>"Hungry. Hormonal. Four and a half months pregnant, basically."<br>"Wow. You've still got awhile to go."  
>"Yeah. I know. I want the twins to stay in as long as they can."<br>"I do too. I love them already."

Her sister-in-law smiled at her.

"Aw, Jess, that's sweet. They love you already too. I think you're gonna be their favorite auntie."  
>"Really?"<br>"Yeah."  
>"I wanna be their favorite auntie! I do!"<br>"Well, keep being nice to them and you will be. You can start by feeling them kick."  
>"Now?"<br>"Yes, now, sweetie. Come on, they're bored and awake. It's no fun for them to just kick for Mommy all the time."

Jessica let Billie take her hand, wanting to feel the babies more than anything. She was glad that things had gone relatively smoothly that morning. Well, as smoothly as one's mother getting arrested in a hospital bed could go, at least. The twins moved, and she felt them, yawning slightly.

"I'm glad you married Steven."  
>"Me too. You sleepy, honey?"<br>"A bit."  
>"Why don't you take a nap?"<br>"I wanna feel the twins, though!"  
>"You can, honey. Just use my belly as a pillow. It won't hurt them."<br>"It won't?"  
>"No. Your brother does it all the time."<br>"He does?"  
>"Yeah. He likes to fall asleep like that when we're watching my shows. I think it's cute."<p>

Yes, but Steven did other things with Billie and the twins, things that Jessica would never dream of doing. Like sleeping together, which she and Mike could often hear from in their apartment below-but she'd never mention it to her-she was too embarrassed. Unlike her ex-husband, who was content to question her brother intently, despite his reddening cheeks. Though, she was comforted by the fact that she doubted sincerely that Billie would refer to that action as "cute"!

"Are you sure?"  
>"Yeah. Course I am."<br>"Okay, I guess I'll try it. Will you let me know if I'm hurting you?"  
>"Of course I will."<br>"Well, okay. I wanna try."  
>"Go ahead."<p>

She curled up against her the best she could, their seatbelts and her sister-in-law's belly getting in the way, and she shut her eyes, feeling secure that she wasn't hurting her sister-in-law or the twins. Indeed, she could feel the movements of the twins, and they started to lull her to sleep.

"I love you, Billie."  
>"I love you, too, Jess."<p>

***

"I heard it was good, though."  
>"Mike…"<br>"What? I did! You must get double the pleasure, 'cause there's two of 'em."  
>"Mike, I really don't think now is a good time."<br>"Why not?"  
>"Because we are in a car with my wife and your ex. It's highly inappropriate!"<br>"I just want to know!"

Unfortunately, a side effect of Jessica being asleep was that Billie had tuned into Mike and Steven's conversation.

"Mike, why are you asking Steven such questions?"  
>"I just wanna know what it's like!"<br>"What what's like, Mike?"  
>"You know, pregnancy sex."<br>"Mike!"  
>"What? I'm just wondering!"<br>"I can't believe you'd ask that with Jessica and me in the car! Can't the two of you wait to discuss this when we're not here?"  
>"Don't worry, Steven won't give me any details anyways. He just says that it's your business and that he won't spill details about your sex life!"<p>

Somewhat mollified, Billie smiled at her husband, stroking Jessica's hair as she slept. The twins had fallen asleep, too, and she was relieved that they weren't causing her too much trouble. She loved their little twins already, even though they weren't born yet. Every kick, every nudge, every tumble, she relished. But she also enjoyed the periods of inactivity the twins cycled through, and she supposed that that would be part and parcel for when they were born as well.

"How are our girls?"  
>"They're good, honey. They've fallen asleep."<br>"How do you know?"  
>"'Cause they're not kicking. They're sound asleep. Just like their auntie."<br>"Heh. Jess is sound asleep."  
>"Exactly. They're being very good."<br>"I'm glad. They're usually our little squirmers, aren't they?"  
>"Yeah. Where are we gonna eat?"<br>"I dunno. You wanna go to Lila's donuts?"  
>"No, I want my pancakes. With chocolate chips."<br>"Don't worry, you'll get your pancakes. You might have changed your mind, that's all."  
>"I didn't. The twins love chocolate. You know that."<p>

Mike opened his mouth, and made another vaguely inappropriate comment.

"And what does their mother like?"  
>"What?"<br>"What do you like?"  
>"I like chocolate too, Mike, it's a common pregnancy craving to have."<br>"That wasn't what I meant."

She'd known what he'd meant from the minute he'd asked, but she smiled innocently at him, giving her abdomen a pat.

"What did you mean?"  
>"Well-"<br>"Ooh, did you want to hear about my other cravings? I like French onion dip and chips, Chinese and Italian food…or did you mean to ask another question about our sex life?"  
>"The second one."<p>

She rolled her eyes, and Jessica stirred beside her. She rubbed her back wordlessly.

"Mike! Don't ask Billie things like that!"  
>"It's okay, Steven. I don't really care."<p>

Her sister-in-law whispered to her.

"What's it like?"  
>"What's what like, honey?"<br>"Sex when you're pregnant-I don't wanna know the details about you and Steven's bedroom actions, I'm just a bit curious."  
>"Oh. Well, it's nice. It was kind of awkward, at first, but we seem to have gotten the hang of it."<p>

She didn't really mind Jessica's questions, at least she was endearing and not annoying her.

"Oh. So you must like it?"  
>"Yeah. Why do you ask?"<br>"I was just wondering. You're the only pregnant person I know, and I was curious!"  
>"Oh. Okay. Sorry I sounded angry."<br>"It's okay. I shouldn't have asked you."  
>"Oh, honey, no. You can always ask me things."<br>"Okay. I love you, Billie."  
>"I love you, too. Do you want to ask more questions?"<br>"No, that's okay. You do sleep with my brother, after all."  
>"Jess!"<br>"What?"  
>"…Well, when you put it that way…"<br>"See? At least this was less awkward than that talk with Liz."  
>"What talk with Liz?"<br>"Don't ask."


	10. Chapter 10

"Mother, now really isn't a good time. What did I tell you about showing up without telling me and Steven?"  
>"But, Billie, dear, don't you want us to all go shopping together? We can even invite Alice!"<br>"Mom, I told you, I have class. Not to mention Alice is a bit preoccupied at the moment."  
>"What was that, dear?"<br>"Nothing, Mom. Look, can't you stop by, say, next month. We can go shopping then, okay?"  
>"Well…"<br>"Oh, come off it, Mom. It's not like I'm shaming you by visiting you in Texas, is it?"  
>"Fine."<br>"Is that all you called to talk to me about?"  
>"Yes, dear."<p>

Steven watched Billie slam her cell phone shut and he stood, hesitating to approach her. She tossed it on the table beside her textbooks, and gave it a moody glare, laying a hand on her abdomen. She turned to him, giving him puppy dog eyes.

"Can I have a hug?"  
>"Of course."<p>

He felt somewhat guilty about wanting to avoid her when she was this hormonal and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He felt her press her abdomen against him, and he nuzzled her neck, suddenly aware that she was crying. He began to rub her back, trying desperately to stop her tears. He hated when she cried.

"Why does she hate me?"  
>"No one hates you, sweetheart. Why do you think your mom hates you?"<br>"'Cause she's always making fun of me! She's pretending to be helpful but she's doing it to make fun of me!"  
>"You think that?"<br>"Yes! She's disappointed in me and doesn't make any effort to hide it!"  
>"Is that why you hung up on her?"<br>"She was getting me too stressed out. I didn't want to stress the twins out."  
>"Oh. Oh, they're kicking!"<p>

She pulled away slightly, managing a smile.

"Yeah. They're always active around this time of day. Did you know I can sometimes see the kicks? I noticed it the other day. Not a lot, but sometimes."  
>"You can? What's it like?"<br>"It's kinda weird to be honest. But when it happens when you're around I'll let you see."  
>"Okay. You feel better?"<p>

She nodded, blushing lightly, and he kissed her.

"Sorry I got your shirt all wet."  
>"It's okay. I'm just glad you're not upset anymore."<br>"Aw. How was class?"  
>"It was okay. How was your class?"<br>"Good. Jess insisted on carrying my bag. I didn't really mind."  
>"She did? That was nice of her."<br>"Yeah. And then she asked to feel the twins and they were kicking for her. That was fun. And then my mom called and had to ruin everything."  
>"She didn't ruin anything."<br>"She didn't?"  
>"No. Don't listen to her, babe. You're not a disappointment. Or something to be ashamed of. She shouldn't say things like that to you."<br>"I know…"

He covered her abdomen once again, trying to entice the twins into moving. One of them kicked (both twins were already developing their own personalities-even though Billie was only five months pregnant) and they shared a grin.

"That's cool. What baby was that?"  
>"Oh, honey, I dunno. They've both been wicked active today."<br>"All day?"  
>"Uh-huh. They've been my little jumping beans. They helped me stay awake in my lectures."<br>"They're good for that, aren't they?"  
>"Yeah. Aw, cheer up. We have class together tomorrow. You can carry my bags and feel the little twinsies the whole time, okay?"<br>"Okay. In econ, right?"  
>"And in that law course we signed up for. And then you can drive me home before you go to work, okay?"<br>"Of course."  
>"Thanks. You're the best!"<p>

She kissed him again as he pulled her close, and her shirt inched up, exposing her abdomen.

"You're welcome."  
>"You know what the twins like? When their daddy kisses my belly."<br>"They do?"  
>"Yeah! Go ahead!"<br>"Okay."

He kneeled on the kitchen floor, tenderly kissing her abdomen. He kissed her again, rewarded with a soft nudge in the teeth. He smiled as both the babies started to kick.

"I told you so."  
>"That was awesome, babe. Thanks."<br>"You're welcome. The twins know you're their daddy, you know that, right?"  
>"I know."<p>

***

Billie snuggled with Steven, trying to remain asleep, as the twins had a kicking match in her abdomen. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing herself against his back, and she squeezed him tightly as they moved about. She'd noticed that they tended to kick more in the middle of the night-as if they were preparing for late night feedings already. And she could tell that Steven was sort of worried that he wasn't around enough during the day, so she figured that the twins could humor him by kicking him while he was asleep.

"Steven?"  
>"Huh?"<p>

One of the twins gave him a particularly sharp kick and she felt him roll over in bed beside her. She giggled, as he stared sleepily at her abdomen, touching it with his hands. The twins kicked again.

"Sorry she woke you."  
>"Hey, it's okay. I didn't mind. Hey, there, little ones. Did one of you try to wake Daddy?"<p>

She propped herself up on her elbow.

"Try to wake Daddy? It looks like they've succeeded!"  
>"I know. It's okay, though, I don't mind. You two can kick me anytime, okay?"<br>"You really want to encourage them?"  
>"Yeah. If it doesn't bother you, I mean."<p>

The kicks didn't bother her, not at all.

"No, it's fine. I like it when they kick."  
>"Do they kick at night a lot?"<br>"All the time. Sometimes I sleep through it, though. But I knew you'd want to feel them. I was right, right?"  
>"Yeah…"<br>"I love you, Steven Wakefield. So, so, so, so, so, so much."  
>"I love you too, Billie Wakefield. So, so, so, so, so, so, so much."<br>"Tell the babies you love 'em too!"

He leaned in towards her belly, whispering to their daughters.

"Hey girlies how are you? It's Daddy. You doing okay in there? I love you."

She could feel the twins shifting in response. He laid his head on her abdomen, and the twins' kicking started again, likely in response to the increased pressure they'd felt. She ran her fingers through his hair.

"We really ought to be getting back to bed."  
>"But, they're kicking. They wanna play with us!"<br>"Well, okay. For a little while, okay?"

She yawned.

"You can sleep, if you wanna."  
>"No, it's alright."<p>

But she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The next morning, Billie awoke to find her husband sound asleep, snoring, his head buried next to her abdomen (she must've rolled over at some point during the night) and she smiled. She stretched, which caused her belly to move slightly, and she leaned over to ruffle his hair. She did, and he stirred.

"What time is it, babe?"  
>"We've got a couple hours before we have to be on campus. Did you sleep well?"<br>"You look beautiful."  
>"Thank you. Did you sleep okay?"<br>"I guess. Upon reflection it wasn't the most comfortable position to sleep in, though."  
>"I bet the babies liked having their daddy so close, though."<br>"Yeah. They were kickin' like mad. I think they're asleep, now, though."

She kissed him slowly, not even caring that they both had morning breath and that his lips were somewhat dry. He moved her hair out of the way and he pressed a trail of kisses down her neck and on her breasts, which he then began to suck, and she let out a pleasured moan. She felt some of her milk leak out, and a few seconds later her pulled away, a goofy smile on his face.

"I'm sorry I did that."  
>"I'm not. It felt good."<br>"I've made your milk come in, though."  
>"No, that started about a week or so ago. I didn't tell you 'cause I was afraid you'd, I dunno, stop paying attention to my boobs."<br>"It doesn't hurt?"  
>"Why would you ask that?"<br>"'Cause I read somewhere that breastfeeding can hurt the mom's breasts. I've been doing some research."  
>"Oh, don't worry about it. You're a natural."<br>"I am?"  
>"Yeah."<p>

He kissed her on the lips, shrugging sheepishly as some more milk dripped on his hand.

"It did taste good, by the way. I can see why babies like it so much."  
>"What did it taste like?"<br>"It was sweet. It tasted nice."  
>"I'm gonna try to breastfeed them. I know it'll be hard, but I wanna."<br>"I'll support you. I think that's great. The twins will really benefit."  
>"I know. Can you rub the cocoa butter on my belly?"<br>"Sure!"

Billie handed Steven the tube of cocoa butter, looking forward to her massage. He began to rub her belly with it, and she sighed happily. She got a massage and a lesser chance of stretch marks, and he got to have an extra chance to pamper her and bond with the twins-both of which she knew he wanted.

"Thank you, honey."  
>"You're welcome. You looking forward to class?"<br>"Yeah."  
>"You are?"<br>"Yeah. You'll be there."  
>"Hey. That's right. I can hardly wait."<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

"I just hate her, Jess. Why does she feel the urge to constantly judge me?"  
>"Who? Liz?"<br>"No, not Liz. My mother! She thinks I planned the pregnancy and planned to get pregnant with twins! She doesn't understand that while I am happy, it was an accident!"  
>"You didn't mean to get pregnant. Those things just happen. And the twins just happened, too. Usually they skip a generation."<p>

Jessica had gotten used to reassuring Billie that things would be okay, especially as her pregnancy had progressed and her hormones had started to get the better of her. She figured it was the least she could do for her big brother. And their family. And everyone at SVU. And the world. (For heaven's sake, Billie had nearly flown to Denver to ream out Elizabeth for some comments she'd made about her-though her twin would have certainly deserved it, it still nicely illustrated how wonky her sister-in-law's moods had gotten.)

"She says I'll be a bad mom. You don't think that, do you?"

This, Jessica could answer truthfully. She was slightly relieved she could. (Seven months pregnant with twins Billie was kinda scary, after all.)

"Of course not! Look, when Steven told me you were pregnant, I could picture him as a good dad and you as an awesome mom right away. Your mother doesn't know anything."  
>"You mean it? You think I'm gonna be an awesome Mom?"<br>"Yeah. How are...why are you crying?"

Pregnancy had somehow turned her formerly rational and level-headed sister-in-law into a hormonal pile of mush. She did what she'd watched her big brother do many times (including the time they'd seen each other in the grocery store and they'd been out of the flavor of ice cream that she'd been craving all day) and gently massaged her back.

"Cause-cause you said I'll be an awesome Mom! I'm not crying cause I'm sad, honey. I'm crying cause I'm happy."

Jessica was confused, but she trusted Billie to tell her the truth. She handed her a Kleenex.

"I'm sorry that she's coming."  
>"She's not. She's mailed me a check. It's just the two of us."<br>"We could always invite Steven and Mike?"  
>"We could but Steven's already meeting us after he gets out of work and I don't know if Mike wants to help me pick out cute baby clothes for them."<br>"We're buying them clothes?"

She loved shopping for clothes, even if they weren't for herself.

"Yeah. I could use your help for that. Thanks for coming with me, by the way."  
>"You're welcome. I love you and my nieces. Don't forget that."<p>

She knew that the twins were likely kicking and she really wanted to feel them but her sister-in-law was driving and she didn't want to distract her.

"Thanks, Jess. I love you too, and so do the twinsies. They're wide awake, if you want to feel."  
>"Are you sure?"<br>"Yeah. Go ahead."

She laid a hand on Billie's abdomen and the twins kicked at her, almost as if they were playing a movement game, like they'd used to over the summer. (She'd been hurt when they'd sort of stopped doing that but Steven had explained that the womb was probably getting too small for them to do so-which made her confused, but happy whenever she felt them kick anyways.)

"How was your appointment?"

She was curious to hear how it had gone. Her big brother had sent her a picture of the latest ultrasound that she'd set as the background on her phone-the babies had gotten big!

"Everything's going great. The best part was getting another ultrasound. I get them at every appointment now. Steven said he sent you a pic?"  
>"Yeah, he did. What's it like?"<br>"An ultrasound?"  
>"Yeah."<br>"It's kinda weird, actually. The gel they use is really cold and it really really tickles and you really have to pee-but it's so worth it to see the twins. To see them on the screen, it's awesome. It especially makes your brother's day. He's totally in to being a daddy. That's why we're only shopping for clothes before he gets here."  
>"It's too bad he had to work."<br>"I know."

They drove along, down the freeway towards the Valley Mall, and the radio played softly. Billie turned up the volume and the twins started to kick in earnest. She shot her a look of amazement.

"How'd you get them to do that?"  
>"They like the song."<br>"They do?"  
>"Yeah."<br>"Wow. They can hear already?"  
>"A bit. They can feel the bass and stuff like that, too, though. Don't worry. You can talk to them and stuff like that. If you want to, I mean."<br>"Of course I do!"  
>"Thanks, Jess."<br>"You're welcome."

She looked her sister-in-law up and down. Pregnancy had made her even more beautiful. Even her belly was cute. Billie smiled, her free hand joining Jessica's. She spoke, her tone curious.

"What are you looking at?"  
>"You. I think you're beautiful."<br>"You mean it?"  
>"Yeah. You're a cute pregnant woman. Steven agrees with me."<br>"Your brother still thinks I'm sexy."  
>"I know he does."<br>"Even when I don't feel sexy, he makes me feel that way you know-you can hear us, can't you?"  
>"Not me, usually. Mike's room is underneath yours, though."<br>"Oh. My. God."  
>"What?"<br>"You can hear us!"

***

Billie was still mortified that Jessica and Mike could hear her and Steven-so mortified that she was actually glad the doctor had recommended they stop having sex until after the twins were born-and she she still had a light blush on her cheeks when they arrived at the mall. Fortunately, her sister-in-law distracted her by pointing out that her husband had arrived. Her hot, sexy husband, that she couldn't sleep with for at least two and a half months, but her husband none the less.

"Look, Billie, Steven's here! Let's go say hi!"  
>"Okay, that sounds like a good idea. The twins miss their daddy."<br>"I know. I figured. You okay?"  
>"Yeah. I'm just embarrassed, that's all."<br>"Oh, don't be."

She felt mildly better but it took a bear hug from Steven to get her back at one hundred percent. She was so glad he'd been able to come. She melted into his embrace the best she could, her belly getting in the way, but he still smelled good and was still nice and warm.

"I thought you had to work."  
>"I finished for the day. Besides, I wanna shop for our twins, too."<br>"I know you do."

She let out a sigh.

"How are you feeling?"  
>"Um, okay. I feel like a walrus."<br>"You're not a walrus. You're pregnant with twins, that's all. Hey, they're kicking."  
>"I know they are. Do you really still think I'm beautiful?"<br>"Of course. You're the most beautiful girl in the world. You know that."

He kissed her, tenderly, and she wished he could show her how beautiful she was when the got home, but she knew that not making love was what was best for the twins. It sucked, though. She was twenty one, horny, and married, and she couldn't have sex with her husband.

"I know. Sorry I'm acting like this. My hormones are a bit wonky, that's all."  
>"Is this about what the doctor said? About us not having sex?"<br>"A bit. And apparently your sister and ex-brother-in-law could hear us getting at it."  
>"Oh, God. But, hey, if I didn't think it might cause you to go into labor, I'd still be doing you. You're so hot, babe."<br>"Thanks. I love you."  
>"I love you too. So do our girls."<p>

And so did poor Jessica, who had to put up with her hormones during more classes than Steven did-including one with Chas, mind you-and she was waiting patiently for them in front of the mall. She dragged him (well, as much as a woman seven months pregnant with twins could drag someone) to the entrance, smiling brightly at her sister-in-law. She felt less ostracized with him there-he was obviously her husband, so people were less likely to stare at her with a mixture of contempt and pity-especially with his arms wrapped around what was once her waist. The twins? Well, they liked it too-they were kicking her quite eagerly-and he kept his hands on her abdomen.

"Sorry, Jess. I just was feeling the twinsies and got a bit distracted. How was you guys' class?"  
>"Good! The twins were awake the whole time! Billie let me feel 'em!"<br>"That's great. You excited for our shopping trip?"  
>"Yeah. Billie said we were shopping for clothes."<br>"And some other baby stuff. Thanks for coming with us."  
>"You're welcome. Thanks for the pic of the twins, big brother! You're the best."<br>"You're welcome. You're gonna be an awesome auntie, Jess."

She beamed at them, giving them both a hug.

"Thanks. That means a lot to me."

Billie took her sister-in-law's hand and held it to her abdomen. She could tell she needed some reassurance.

"You're a great aunt, Jessica. You've been so caring and nice towards me and the babies ever since you found out I got pregnant, and it means a lot to me. Like when you invite me to go get manicures with you and Lila and when you and Mike come over to watch TV with me and your brother. And when you wanted to go after Chas and Tracy for me. You feel better, now?"  
>"Yeah. Thanks, Billie."<br>"You're welcome. Want to start shopping?"

The smile returned to Jessica's face and she nodded eagerly.

"Come on. Let's get started."

***

_A few weeks later_

Steven opened their bedroom door, surprised to find Billie wide awake. She laid on her side, rubbing slow circles on her abdomen. He hoped it was in response to the twins kicking and not to labor pains.

"Hey. You okay?"  
>"Yeah. Just feeling them kick, that's all. It's nice."<p>

Pregnancy still looked good on his wife, even as her due date loomed closer. He couldn't believe she was nearly nine months pregnant-with their twins. It seemed that it hadn't been that long ago she'd taken the pregnancy test that started them on this journey. And, it really hadn't been. It was amazing how time seemed to have flown. He slipped into bed beside her, helping her sit up. She gave him a peck on the lips.

"You sure that's it?"  
>"Yeah. Come feel, honey."<br>"Sure. Wow, they're being very active. I missed you guys."  
>"We missed you, too. The twins are making me a bit uncomfortable, though. My belly seems to keep growing."<br>"Don't worry. Soon we'll be holding our little babies in our arms."

He could hardly wait.

"Steven? I'm scared."  
>"About what?"<br>"Labor. What if my waters break in class? Or when you're not home? What if I don't realize I'm in labor until it's too late to go to the hospital?"

She burst into tears and he held her, rocking her back and forth. He didn't want her to accidentally start the process, after all.

"Billie, everything will be okay. I promise. You'll be fine. The twins will be fine. And if I'm at work, you can call me, okay?"  
>"But what if you don't answer? What if I'm driving? What do I do?"<br>"Call Jess. Or Mike. Or even Lila. Okay?"  
>"...Okay. Can we take a bubble bath together? My Braxton-Hicks have been bothering me today."<br>"Of course."

He climbed out of bed and helped her climb out, and they walked down the hallway to the bathroom. He turned on the bath while she undressed, and he helped her by unhooking her bra. He massaged her lower back as she slipped out of her sweatpants. The tub filled and he helped her in, only getting in himself once she was situated. She leaned against him, flicking the bubbles idly. He knew that in a month they'd be bathing their little girls. He knew she felt ready to burst.

"You like the bath?"  
>"Yeah. Thanks. They've gone away."<br>"I'm glad."  
>"Are Mike and Jess coming over tonight? I want to order a pizza."<br>"That sounds doable."  
>"Can I stay on the couch for most of it? I don't feel much like playing the perfect hostess."<br>"That sounds good. What did the doctor say?"  
>"Oh, she just said that they could be born any time-it's really just a waiting game. I'm not dilated, yet, though. But I swear one of the twins dropped."<p>

He wondered how she knew that.

"How-"  
>"'Cause it feels like there's a baby in between my legs-oh, not like that, it's hard to explain."<br>"Oh, okay. So the Braxton-Hicks are 'cause of that?"  
>"They're to prepare me for labor."<p>

He suspected as much, at least about her due date, because she seemed to have a ton of the false contractions. He was excited. He grinned, laying a hand on her belly. The twins kicked and he noticed her wince. He made to pull his hands away, but she covered them, pressing them down against her belly.

"No. I want you to feel them. They're gonna kick and sometimes it might be a bit uncomfortable for me but I want you to always feel. The twins love you, you're their daddy. When you don't feel they think you've gone away."

She shivered slightly and he added more hot water to the bath-along with some more bubbles. She practically submerged herself in the water, lifting her belly slightly. He helped her, unsurprised that she'd actually gone out and gotten the bikini wax the doctor had said was optional-she'd probably thought it made her sexier. And he knew that she missed being in control of things, so making that decision had probably helped her feel better.

"I'll never go away. Not ever. I promise, babe."  
>"Thanks. I know you won't."<br>"When we get out, why don't you just relax on the couch? I'll get our downstairs neighbors and dinner sorted while you and the babies nap or something."  
>"That sounds lovely."<p>

Indeed, he'd gotten dinner and Jessica and Mike sorted and returned to find Billie sound asleep on the couch, cuddled underneath a blanket. He didn't want to disturb her, but the pizza was on its way and Jessica kept staring at the couch (and his wife) longingly.

"You want to wake her up?"  
>"May I?"<br>"Yeah. Just be gentle, okay."  
>"I will be. I promise."<p>

Jessica smoothed out his wife's hair, causing her to stir, and he watched for a moment before going back to his conversation with Mike.

"...yeah, of course she can call us. Jess is really happy she's gonna be an aunt, she'd probably be thrilled to get the chance to help out during labor."  
>"Thanks, I appreciate it."<br>"No problem. Hey, Billie, how you feeling?"

Steven felt Billie press against him and he slowly rubbed her sides.

"I'm okay, just tired and ready to have the twins."  
>"Are they going to make an appearance during dinner?"<br>"I wish. No, they're apparently quite content to stay where they are."  
>"That's good, right?"<br>"My doctor said that they're developing ahead of schedule, so that it doesn't really matter. I could have had them last week and they would have likely weighed nearly 6 pounds each. It's not fun to have two nearly full grown babies competing for space in your uterus. Especially if their daddy is just over 6 feet tall and their mommy is only 5'3". But it's okay. Thanks for asking."  
>"You're welcome. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be back to being Steve's little woman soon enough."<p>

Much to his surprise, she giggled, and he sighed with relief.

"I can't hardly wait. Thanks for that, Mike."  
>"You're welcome."<br>"Babe, where's the pizza? I'm starved."

Now, that was new. Billie had been constantly full for weeks now. He looked at his wife up and down, trying to determine what exactly was different about her.

"It's almost here. And what's with you, little miss hungry?"  
>"I told you. One of the babies dropped a bit. That means I can be hungry again. And I'm starving."<p>

Fortunately, the buzzer sounded, and the pizzas arrived. He paid the delivery boy, setting the boxes on the coffee table. (Billie couldn't sit at their kitchen table for very long before getting uncomfortable, and he wanted to make things as easy for her as possible.) He got everyone their drinks, sitting on the couch beside her. He wondered, would she go into labor that night? Or the next day? Or on her due date-though the doctor had been doubtful that would happen? He hated not knowing.

But at least she seemed happy eating her pizza.

After dinner, Jessica accosted him in the kitchen.

"Is it true?"  
>"Is what true?"<br>"That I might get to help Billie when she gives birth to the twins?"  
>"Maybe. Do you want to?"<br>"Yeah. I mean, not with the blood and icky stuff, but I'll help her with the other stuff."  
>"What if you're there when her water breaks?"<br>"I'll help her. But I won't clean it up if it gets everywhere. Sorry big brother."  
>"It'll be a job for Mom. Don't worry about it. Why don't you sit with Billie? She wants you to."<br>"Okay! She looks like she's gonna pop any second now."  
>"I know. Go ask her how she's feeling?"<p>

He watched his kid sister talk to his wife, who was laying on the couch again, and he finished cleaning up from their meal. He returned to them, expecting an answer.

"Honey, I'm fine. Stop worrying. You'll know when I'm in labor, I promise."  
>"I just wanted to make sure!"<br>"I know, it's sweet of you. But you're making me wish the false contractions were really real contractions even more then I already am. Can you help me up? I have to go to the bathroom."

He helped her stand and she walked to the bathroom. Jessica and Mike both looked at him, and he sighed.

"What happened?"

Mike spoke.

"Nothing happened!"  
>"Yeah, right. You think I didn't see Prince Albert in your apartment, Jessica? For crying out loud he almost sent me flying out the door when he pounced on me!"<p>

His sister blanched.

"Mom told us to take him. It was her idea."  
>"Why?"<br>"'Cause she might have to go away for a bit. That's all she would tell me."  
>"Go away where?"<br>"I dunno. The doctor gave her these weird pills-she's been taking them."  
>"So were you going to tell me?"<br>"When she left. Or after the twinsies were born. I didn't want to worry you and Billie."

She'd returned, and he let her sit on his lap, not even wincing when her increased weight hit his lap. He rubbed her back, absentmindedly.

"What are you talking about?"  
>"Prince Albert is staying with me and Mike."<br>"Oh, I want to go see him! Can't we?"  
>"We could bring him up-"<br>"Oh, please? He can have a slice of pizza or something. How long is he staying for?"  
>"Mom wouldn't tell us. Do you mind, Steven?"<p>

He shrugged. He didn't mind his family's golden retriever and was actually happy that Billie seemed interested in leaving the apartment for something resembling fun, but he figured it would be best for Prince Albert to come to there's.

"No, go get him."

Jessica left his apartment and returned minutes later with Prince Albert, who shot him a disgruntled look. Apparently the dog had been annoyed by his confusion earlier that day. Fortunately, he looked happy to see Billie, and in fact decided to stick his head against her abdomen, giving the twins little doggy kisses. She giggled, giving him a pet. Soon, the dog turned his attention to him, giving him an affectionate lick.

"Thanks for bringing up Prince, Jess. He's making me feel a bit better."  
>"You're welcome! He's a good boy, isn't he?"<p>

The dog nudged her abdomen again and one of the twins gave a nudge in response. He could see the baby's kicks a bit through her abdomen.

"The twins are playing with him! Are you gonna be gentle with the twins once they're born, Prince Albert? Are you gonna be a good boy? You are? You're such a good boy."

He'd ask for more details another day. Maybe after the twins were born. That sounded nice.


	12. Chapter 12

Needless to say, Billie had not had the twins that night. Or the next day. Or the day after. Or the day after that. Or the day after that. So when she woke up that morning, with even more stupidly annoying Braxton-Hicks contractions, she let out a heavy sigh. It felt that her pregnancy would never ever ever ever ever end. And she had classes today! Classes with stupid Chas! (And Jessica, she amended, but she was still pregnant and still hormonal and still annoyed and still pregnant!) She hated feeling like this-hot, uncomfortable, awkward, fat, crampy-and no, that did not mean she was finally in labor (it only meant that she'd dilated a stupid only half a centimeter)! She groaned, somehow managing to get out of bed by herself.

"Hey, girlies. Are you gonna be good for your mommy today? And maybe just maybe cause her to go into labor? Will you at least consider it?"

The twins both nudged her and she took that as a yes, rubbing her belly. This sucked. She was never going to sleep with Steven again! This was all his sperm's fault-it had been what made it past her birth control! (Though, she supposed, occasionally forgetting to take said birth control had probably made impregnating her that much easier.) And, he did look so adorable sleeping there while she made a pathetic attempt at getting ready for school. Damn, why did he have to be so irresistible?

And why did her false contractions always have to start as she started with her day?

And why did none of her clothes fit? Though she supposed she'd rather ruin a pair of Steven's old sweatpants than any of her nice clothes if her water broke. And his t-shirts were nice and soft against her extremely sensitive breasts.

"Billie? What are you doing?"  
>"Getting ready for class."<br>"You don't have to go. The professors will understand."  
>"I want to."<br>"Okay. Come here so I can say bye to the twins."

She padded over to him, exposing her abdomen to him, and he sleepily caressed it. Another false contraction came and she shifted slightly.

"You're running late, aren't you?"  
>"Not really."<br>"You go to school. I'll see you tonight, okay?"  
>"Okay. I love you."<br>"I love you too."

Thankfully, Steven hadn't noticed the fact that she was in pain-he'd have insisted she'd stay home-and she walked down the stairs (why did they live on the third floor?) trying to will the ache she had in her lower back away. It had started the night before-right after she'd left the hospital, where she'd been quite annoyed that all the aches and pains she felt had only made her one-then by the time they'd sent her home-only a half centimeter dilated. She was crampy and miserable and oh so uncomfortable and her back hurting was nearly enough to send her over the edge! She drove to campus, sore the entire time, and arrived just in time for her first class. She sat in the car, discreetly checking to make sure her water hadn't broke-she knew she'd likely be able to tell, but she didn't want to be so oblivious she wandered around with it leaking out of her. She didn't want to jinx anything, but she felt...different. It was kind of weird. But, she had to go to class.

Chas really picked a poor time to speak to her, as her cramps were still somewhat mild but had managed to increase just enough so that paying attention in the lecture was nearly impossible.

"You look kinda pale, Billie. Is everything okay?"  
>"Leave me alone. I'm pregnant with twins. Heavily pregnant."<p>

She shot him a glare, looking down at her notes as another stupid Braxton-Hicks contraction hit her. Fortunately the glare had caused Chas to turn back to their lecture. Which, thankfully, was nearly over. Couldn't people just leave her alone? Much to her relief, the class ended and she took the opportunity to hurry off to the bathroom. She really needed to pee.

She really hated people today. Why couldn't they leave her alone? If one more person thought it was funny to make jokes about her being in labor she'd start to cry. She was going to be pregnant forever, wasn't she? This was awful!

Things didn't improve when she made it to the bathroom. She found herself stuck in line behind a group of Thetas. Jessica's friends, of course, who noticed her. She managed a smile.

"Who's that, Li?"  
>"It's Steven's wife, Izzy. You remember her."<br>"Why is she so-"  
>"She's pregnant-remember? Now let's let her use the bathroom before us, okay?"<br>"Why?"  
>"Because she's pregnant, Izzy."<p>

She didn't mind waiting. Her back hurt less when she stood, anyways.

"Go ahead. Use it."  
>"Okay. Is this gonna be on I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant? Are you going to give birth in the bathroom like on the show?"<br>"No. Just use the bathroom."

Isabella had taken a swan dive off a balcony at a party and that was the only thing that was keeping Billie from strangling her. That and the fact that an older woman who appeared to be her mother had joined Lila and Denise. She managed another smile, and Lila gave her a sympathetic look, giving her a quick hug.

"How are you?"  
>"Okay. Ready to be a mom."<br>"I know. Jess said it could be any day now, right? Have you had any signs?"  
>"We went to the hospital last night because I'd had some awful contractions and my back was killing me. They sent me home because I was a centimeter dilated when I'd come in and when I left I'd gone back to half a centimeter. I just feel so..."<p>

She didn't know how to describe it.

"Well at least it's progress, right? At least you don't get to escort Isabella around all day. She barely remembers a thing."  
>"Good luck. Wanna feel them? You can if you want."<br>"Sure. Good luck to you too."

She let Lila feel her abdomen, glad her friend was rubbing some of the annoying twinges away.

She was also glad that Isabella was done in the bathroom.

"I'll let you know when the babies come, okay, Li? I'll have Jess tell you."  
>"Okay."<p>

She locked the door to the stall and went to the bathroom, deciding it wouldn't be jinxing things too much if she wore a pad-she could just picture her embarrassment if her waters broke and there was nothing to stop them! Her midwife had told her to be prepared for it to happen at any time, and she was starting to get the feeling "anytime" would be today. She had another pain, and it nearly took her breath away. She felt a bit of pressure wash over her, and she gave an experimental push. Nothing, not even a drip or another contraction. She stood, the sudden pain having solidified her decision to wear the pad (even though it was a light one she'd nicked from Jessica, it would be better than nothing.) She knew that she had to go to her next class, and so she left the bathroom, walking as fast as she could towards the building.

Suddenly, Jessica was by her side.

"How are you feeling?"  
>"Like crap. Basically the same I've been feeling for the past few days."<p>

Except worse, but she daren't mention it to her sister-in-law. She let Jessica feel the twins, and she was less than amused when they used the pressure from her hand as an excuse to move. The cramps she'd felt earlier had gotten even worse than in her lecture, but the night before had told her that those weren't labor pains. The one she'd felt in the bathroom had been a contraction, but she hadn't felt another one since.

"I thought you were really in labor last night. Didn't that plug thingy-"  
>"Yes. Of course not all the way and I was really contracting last night but they sent me home because they stopped and my waters hadn't broken. And I'm less than a centimeter dilated."<br>"Oh..."  
>"Will you sit with me in class?"<br>"Yeah, sure I will. Lila said she's sorry about the Isabella incident."  
>"It's okay."<p>

She felt so uncomfortable, and she wanted the babies to come out, there then and now. (Well, seeing as they were on the quad she wanted to amend that statement, but she was slightly grateful that the waves of pressure had increased in her sides and back.)

She slept through most of the lecture, only waking twice (and it was two hours long) due to her back and the false contractions. She let Jessica help her stand, surprised at how much her pain lessened.

"What did I miss?"  
>"Don't worry about it."<br>"You sure?"  
>"Yeah. Look, go home and get some rest, okay?"<br>"But-"  
>"When's your next class?"<br>"Right now."  
>"Fine. Go to your next class and then go home. I have to go to work, okay?"<p>

She agreed, still half asleep. She made it to her next class, only to fall asleep, again. She only woke up when she felt someone shaking her shoulder. She lifted her head off the desk, surprised to see Isabella standing there. She'd forgotten they were in this class together.

"Lila said that you're Steven's wife and that class is over and you should wake up and that you're pregnant. This is my mommy."

She forced herself to answer as another bout of cramping hit her.


	13. Chapter 13

"No, honey, it's just my back. That's all. And the twins are still moving about. Yes, I know Jessica was worried about me, but I'm fine. Just uncomfortable, hot, and nine months pregnant with twins. Okay?"  
>"Go get something to eat."<br>"All I want is ice cream."  
>"Go get some, babe. You need to eat something-I swear you'll feel better if you do. Okay?"<br>"Okay. The twins want mint chocolate chip and strawberry."  
>"Together?"<br>"I know it sounds gross but that's what they want! They have me craving very different things, you know that."  
>"I know. Call me if anything changes."<br>"Okay. I don't think anything will but I promise I will."  
>"Okay. I love you."<br>"I love you too, honey."  
>"Can I talk to the twins?"<br>"Sure. Let me just put the phone on my belly."

Billie, whose false contractions had decided to stop which had ironically improved her mood slightly, held her cell phone to her belly, listening as Steven spoke to their twins. She couldn't really understand what he was saying, but the sound of his deep, husky, voice relaxed her and more importantly them, and she knew that she'd get what he'd told them out of him when he was done talking to them.

The two naps had done her good, and she felt better than she had the past two days. Which wasn't much better, but it was enough for her. She'd even given Chas a grudging apology when they'd passed in the quad. She was relieved that the intense cramps she'd felt during the entire torturous conversation with Isabella and her mother hadn't resulted in her water breaking-she'd honestly been afraid they had, but she'd rushed to the bathroom and there was nothing on the pad and she'd breathed a sigh of relief. Sure, there'd been a bit of discharge, but that wasn't anything to be worried about.

"What did you say to them?"  
>"You're nosy, babe. I told them that I know they might want to come out but that I would appreciate them waiting until you were safe at home before causing your water to break or something."<br>"Oh, I hope they listen to you. I'd be so embarrassed."  
>"Don't worry. You haven't had any regular contractions since last night, right?"<br>"No. There was one but I haven't had another one yet."  
>"Okay. You start having contractions, you come home, alright?"<br>"Okay. I will, I promise."  
>"Okay, babe. I love you."<br>"I love you too."  
>"Look, I gotta get back to work. You text me when you get your ice cream, okay?"<br>"Okay. The twins think that combination is yummy, by the way."  
>"Well, their daddy thinks it's gross. Now pickles and chocolate was okay."<p>

She giggled, feeling normal for the first time in a while. She laid a hand on her abdomen, feeling the twins kick, and she climbed into the car, sitting on the beach towel she'd laid on the seat roughly a month ago. (She might have felt okay but she didn't want to take any chances!)

"Pickles and chocolate was delicious! It's okay, honey, I don't expect you to like my cravings. Some of them are pretty weird."  
>"Okay. Well, I really do have to go. Sorry."<br>"If I text you will you answer?"  
>"Of course. Any time for you, babe."<br>"Thanks. Bye, honey."  
>"Bye, babe."<p>

She hung up the phone and buckled her seat belt, having decided to go to Caseys for her ice cream. The twins loved their ice cream, and she had a feeling it was their last chance to enjoy any for at least a year. She started to drive, turning on the radio. She flicked on the AC, finally feeling somewhat comfortable. Sure the ache in her back was still there, and she felt the Braxton-Hicks returning every so often, but for being thirty eight-nearly thirty nine-weeks pregnant with twins she felt absolutely amazing.

The drive to the Valley Mall was only about half an hour, which, compared to the drive to Fowler Memorial, was more to Billie's liking. She parked the car and decided to have a walk around the mall before getting her treat. She figured that if the contractions actually kicked off she could get her ice cream to go. Besides, she wanted to do something.

"Billie Billie Billie Billie!"

Darn it, Isabella had somehow remembered her name. Of course she was at the mall.

"Yes?"  
>"Did you have the babies yet? Did you did you did you?"<br>"Do I look like I did?"  
>"I dunno! I think it's cool! Are you gonna give birth right here?"<br>"In the mall?"  
>"Yeah! I saw on I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant that some lady gave birth at the mall! In front of everyone!"<br>"Well, I know I'm pregnant. I assure you that I will not give birth in the mall. Who are you here with?"  
>"Lila's cousins! They're great! Joe works at an ice cream shop and Janet's a personal assistant! They said I could say hi-"<p>

Janet appeared.

"I said, leave her alone."  
>"Joe-"<br>"I don't care what Joe said. He's twenty-one and works at an ice cream parlor! Sorry, Billie. Lila's paying me to I-S-A-B-E-L-L-A S-I-T."  
>"Lucky Lila! Well, Isabella, the twins want an ice cream so I'll be off, okay?"<p>

Isabella looked confused.

"Okay! I get to hang out with Janet!"

Janet looked resigned to her fate, and she happily walked into Caseys, rubbing her belly. She got her delicious ice cream and sat down, suddenly ravenous. Pregnancy was weird. She pressed down on her abdomen as she ate, trying to determine whether or not the twins were positioned correctly. The night before, when she'd been contracting like mad and Steven had insisted they go in, she'd had an ultrasound and felt vindicated that, indeed, baby "a" had dropped. Of course, she also-_OWW!_She'd had a contraction that really, really hurt. She clutched her abdomen, trying not to draw attention to herself. The pain subsided, and she relaxed, taking a last bite of her ice cream before deciding it would be best to go home.

She really didn't want Isabella to be right about her giving birth in the mall!

Her abdomen felt tighter, but the intense pain had stopped, so she decided it would be worth it to stop in the bathroom. She just wanted to check, to be absolutely sure, that the pain hadn't been her water breaking. Besides, she really needed to pee. Again. She was relieved that it had just been a contraction-she didn't know if she could handle driving home with her waters leaking all over the place!

The weird feeling she'd had since the morning had come back, and had become more prominent. Her false labor pains were starting again-were they even false labor pains anymore? She made it out to the car-wincing at the pressure she felt. She drank the bottle of water she'd purchased, feeling marginally better. She decided to drive home before they got any worse.

"OWW! Mother fucker!"

No, there was no one in the car with Billie, she was just having several bad contractions in a row.

One with every stupid pothole. It was the worst she'd felt in her life!

"Dammit..."

The pains subsided and she purposefully swerved out of the way of another one. She stopped for the light and pressed her hand to her abdomen. She wanted to cry, they'd hurt so bad.

The car behind her honked its horn and she drove away-somehow managing to drive right into another pothole.

"Shit! Fucking shit!"

She wanted to pull over but she knew that if she went home she could at least have a quick shower to try and make herself feel-dammit, it was when she went over manhole covers too! She leaned forward, trying to stop the pain. She was almost home. She was almost home.

And the light turned red. Right as she started to drive over a fucking damned pothole!

"Oh, God...please make it stop! Please fucking stop contracting!"

For a second, she thought her uterus had listened-alas it wasn't true.

"OH MY GOD! TURN GREEN, DAMMIT, GREEN!"

Fortunately, the light turned green. Unfortunately, they'd started doing construction on the main road that would take her to their apartment.

She was fucked.

Literally.

"FUCKKKKKKK OWWWW HOLY FUCKKKK! DAMMIT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER SAID TO BE NICE TO ME! THIS ISN'T NICE! SHITTTTT!"

She could see the turn up ahead and she tried to speed-yup, that caused it too-she clutched at her abdomen.

"Please stop! At least until I get home!"

She hesitantly moved her hand from her abdomen to lift back Steven's sweatpants, relieved that her water hadn't broken yet. That small favor did nothing when she felt the contractions actually increase as she took the turn into the complex.

"Ow. Ow. Ow."

She parked the car and sat there. She felt a couple weaker contractions, but the intense ones she'd felt the whole half an hour ride home had stopped. Well, sort of. She managed to regain her composure and walk up the stairs to her apartment-yup, stairs did it too.

"Oh. My. God."

The pain was just awful-she'd never been so relieved to come home. She collapsed on the couch. And then, almost like magic, they stopped.

She was pretty sure she was in labor though.


	14. Chapter 14

"Bil, I got your text! You okay?"

Billie laid on the couch, watching some random show on television, rubbing her abdomen in an attempt to relieve some of the waves of pressure she kept feeling, and she had never been so happy to see Steven in her entire life. She somehow managed to stand and, well, waddle towards him, and he gave her a hug. Though the pressure was still there, her contractions had mostly stopped, and she felt so embarrassed that she'd made such a big deal out of them.

"I was driving home from Caseys and every time I drove over a pothole, manhole cover, or dared to speed up, I had awful contractions. Worse than last night. You believe me, right?"

She burst into tears. He had to believe her, he just had to.

"Of course I do. You know your body. Do you want to try and start 'em up again? See if we can jumpstart your labor?"  
>"Oh, believe me, it's started. But, yes, I would like to see if we can make any process with it."<p>

Like, perhaps, her water breaking?

"Want to leave now?"  
>"Can you carry me?"<br>"Sure. Come here, my laboring mommy to be. Why don't we take a nice drive to Fowler Memorial? Maybe they'll admit you today."

Oh, she-ow-hoped so. He picked her up, carefully, and he carried her down the stairs, which somehow actually made the contractions that started on the first step and continued to the last get _worse_. She bit back a groan. Apparently her hot shower hadn't helped much with the pain at all.

She sat on the stairs that lead into the complex itself, wincing from the pains she'd gotten from walking down them. Two stairs! Two stupid little stairs! He pulled the car up to the entrance, got out, and helped her walk over to it. She got into the car, each cramp making her glad she'd put on a heavy duty pad when she changed her clothes. He started to drive, pulling her close to him, and she shut her eyes, trying to fall as-owww, it was happening again! Worse than before! She bolted upright and clutched the inside of the door.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck, Steven, it hurts! Worse than last time or last-OWWW!"  
>"Sorry, babe-"<br>"Owww...Owww."  
>"Do-"<br>"Just drive, Steven!"

The contraction had stopped, but she still felt that she could pop at any minute. Then he made the mistake of driving over another pothole.

"Oh..."

She forced herself to close her eyes when they got on the freeway. She even fell asleep. Which made the damned exit even more surprising and painful than it needed to be. She bolted upright again as the pain came over her. She somehow resisted screaming. Two more contractions followed, each one worse than the last.

"OWWWWWW!"  
>"We're almost there, babe. It's okay."<br>"But they hurt! OH GOD!"

It was another pothole/red light situation except this time the pain was twice as bad. She bared down, which only made it hurt even more.

"What do you mean, she can't stay! Look at her! She's having awful contractions, she's three centimeters dilated-"  
>"She's two, now. We just checked. I'm sorry, hospital policy states that our pregnant patients can only be admitted without their waters having broken if they're five or more centimeters dilated. She's not."<p>

Oh, this was just great. Here she was, hooked up to all these monitors, obviously having some major contractions, and they still wouldn't admit her! This was worse than last night! At least last night-shit, they killed-the stupid contractions had stopped when she'd gotten out of the car! These wouldn't stop! She'd hoped that the exam she'd been given-the stupid internal one-would have broken her waters, but no luck. She knew the babies were coming-why wasn't that enough to admit her!

"Steve?"  
>"They said we have to go home. You feeling any better?"<p>

He rubbed her back, relieving her of some of the pressure. She shot him a weak smile as he climbed on the table beside her, breathing easily when the contractions stopped.

"Why don't they believe me? They've just stopped for now but they really hurt!"  
>"They told me that you could be in early labor for days and they try to keep people pregnant for as long as possible-"<br>"As long as possible? Steven they just told me the twins were about eight pounds each! How much longer do I have to be pregnant for? I think they've been cooked long enough!"  
>"I know. Don't worry. Things will speed up soon enough. Let's just go home."<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

Thoroughly annoyed by their utterly pointless trip to the hospital, Billie sat in the car, waiting for Steven to come back from the bathroom. Stupid Fowler Memorial with its stupid rules. She was cramping up something fierce, she was a centimeter more dilated than yesterday, but was that enough? Noooooooo. Even the clearly monitored contractions hadn't been enough!

She supposed (she thought as she had another, milder contraction) that she'd been pretty lucky throughout her pregnancy, especially when she considered that she was pregnant with twins. She'd made it past 34 weeks, then 36, then (_lucky her_) 38; she hadn't ended up on bed rest; and it had really only been in the last few weeks that she'd started to feel majorly uncomfortable. She let out a sigh, resigned to another night of painful cramps and no twins. She rubbed her belly, hoping that the twins were doing okay in there. She figured they were because the sonographer hadn't seemed concerned during the incredibly uncomfortable sonogram she'd just been subjected to; and she'd noticed that they were moving around a bit. In fact, the doctor had said that some of her discomfort was likely the babies kicking.

She undid the button on her jeans (why had she bothered to try to look nice for the hospital? Because she'd wanted to be taken seriously.) which did nothing to relieve the constant pressure she was now feeling. Fortunately, Steven returned. She just wanted to go home and labor there. In peace.

"I'm sorry, babe."  
>"Don't be. It's not your fault."<br>"Do you wanna go home?"  
>"Yes."<br>"Okay. Try to rest, okay? Just breathe through the contractions. I'll rub your back with my free hand the whole way, okay?"  
>"Okay. That sounds nice. Can we stop at the store and buy popsicles? They might distract me from the pain."<br>"Of course. Anything for you, pretty girl."

He rubbed her back as he drove and she tried to ignore the mild contractions that were occurring-she recognized that what she'd have assumed was false labor only four or so hours ago was the real thing. The counter pressure he was providing helped take the edge off. She even fell into a light sleep, waking abruptly as he turned sharply into the parking lot of the supermarket. The contraction came fast and hard and she grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Owwww..."

The wave of pain dulled and she let go, rubbing her belly.

"Aw, Billie, I didn't mean to."  
>"I know. It just hurts!"<br>"I'm sorry. Do you want to stay in the car while I get your popsicles?"  
>"No. I want to be with you. The contractions are less scary with you here and they hurt less when I walk around."<br>"Okay, babe. You'll tell me if anything happens, right? Like your water breaking?"

She nodded, managing to giggle.

"Trust me, you'll be able to tell. But yes, I'll let you know. Can you help me up?"  
>"Yeah. You just wait there, pretty girl."<p>

She beamed through another contraction-he still thought she was pretty-and he helped her out of the car. She held tight to his arm, the combination of the contractions and how large her belly had gotten made her more clumsy than usual. They entered the store and she kissed him on the cheek, feeling marginally better. She really just wanted her popsicles.

"We should probably get some paper towels, too."  
>"Okay, babe."<p>

They walked around the store for a bit, grabbing some more things, and she hoped that her contractions wouldn't start hurting so badly again.

They started to drive back to the apartment-the contractions had stopped during their trip to the supermarket-and she drew in a deep breath. She felt fine. She felt fine. She felt-dammit he'd driven over another pothole. And another. And another-she nearly felt the urge to push it was so intense.

"Oh my GOD! Holy-FUCK-OW OW OWWW OWWW OWWWW! MOTHER FUCKER! WHY ARE WE STOPPED?"

Oh god it was the red light again! She leaned into the dashboard, clutching her abdomen.

"OWWWW! SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!"  
>"Babe-"<p>

The light changed to green and Steven floored it, somehow completely missing that speed increased her pain and pressure. Her contractions worsened and she clutched his hand. The contraction continued until they got to the apartment complex, where, of course, it stopped.

"It stopped. I'm fine."  
>"You sure?"<br>"...Yeah. I have to go to the bathroom. Now. I'll make it upstairs, you get the groceries."

She really did have to pee, as usual. She ran up the stairs the best she could, becoming more and more uncomfortable by the second. She pressed herself against the railing for a few moments, which gave her enough relief to finish the climb. She made it to their apartment and headed straight to the bathroom-narrowly avoiding an accident in the hallway.

She noticed her pad was a bit damp, but she figured she'd accidentally peed a bit before she'd made it to the toilet. She put on a fresh one, just in case. She finished up in the bathroom, washing her hands. She joined Steven in the kitchen. She gave him another kiss, opening up a popsicle and popping it in her mouth. He reached out and carefully touched her abdomen.

"What happened?"  
>"I'm obviously in labor. The car makes my contractions worse."<br>"You having any now?"

She wasn't really, just the waves of pressure and the back ache.

"Not really, honey. Just my back hurts."  
>"Do you want a back rub?"<br>"I'd love one. Thanks."  
>"You're welcome. You're having our twins. I'll do anything to make it easier for you. You finished the popsicle already?"<br>"I was hungry."  
>"Okay. Why don't you lie down on the couch and I'll rub your back?"<br>"Okay. I'm gonna take my shirt off, okay?"  
>"Sure, babe. You try to get comfortable."<p>

Billie slipped her t-shirt over her head, laying on the couch on top of a towel, and Steven knelt on the floor beside her, slowly massaging her back. It felt so good. Even though it wasn't helping the pains any, she wanted him to continue.

"Lower?"  
>"Okay, babe. How's here?"<p>

Oh, yes, that was right where her back ached. She sighed happily.

"Yeah...that helps a lot."  
>"I'm glad. You having anymore contractions?"<p>

She thought about it, and realized she hadn't.

"No, not since I've been back in the apartment."  
>"Okay. You let me know if anything changes. You want to cuddle together?"<br>"Yeah."  
>"Okay. Let me get out of these dress clothes and into shorts and a t-shirt, okay, babe?"<br>"Yeah. Can I have a kiss?"

He leaned over and kissed her.

"Anytime."

She rolled over on to her back and sat up, making room for him. He soon returned, carrying their comforter, and he sat down beside her, wrapping it around them. She yawned, laying her head on his chest. She was exhausted.

"Steve?"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Would you mind terribly if I went to sleep?"  
>"No, babe. Go ahead."<p>

She awoke suddenly-the uncomfortable feeling had returned, and she knew she needed to walk around-and use the bathroom. She stood awkwardly, another contraction-much stronger than the ones she'd had before-washing over her. She felt the pad dampen a bit and she sighed, slightly embarrassed that she couldn't get to the bathroom in time. Unless-she wondered if it was her waters, but the wetness stopped, and she shrugged, making her way to the bathroom. She leaned on the kitchen chair, pressing its back into her belly, trying to ease the contraction-it didn't work. Steven was still sound asleep. She managed to go to the bathroom-contracting nicely when on the toilet. She doubled over, wondering why they'd gotten so strong all of a sudden. She felt the pressure increase as she peed (usually it lessened) and she wondered why. She tried to stand and another wave of pain came over her. She bit her lower lip. She changed her pad and managed to stand, washing her hands at the sink.

"Oh, my God. What's the matter with me?"

The pad that she'd just put on was soaked through, and she felt herself pale.

Her water was breaking. She felt nauseous. She sat back down, standing quickly because sitting made it even worse.

She hurried out to the living room, leaking and in pain, and she shook Steven by the shoulder. He sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Bil?"  
>"I think my water-OWWW!"<p>

She'd felt a particularly sharp pain, almost like a kick, and the next thing she knew she was drenched. He was suddenly wide awake.

"Oh, God. Are you okay? Sit down."

She sat, and he stood, heading off to the bedroom.

"Where are you going?"  
>"To get dressed. Just stay there."<p>

She couldn't exactly move, she'd already ruined the-oh God, the babies were coming. Right then. That was the only explanation for the increased pressure and pain she'd felt in the last contraction.

"They're coming! Steven, the babies are coming right now!"  
>"What?"<br>"Oh God, fuck, it hurts! Can you check?"  
>"How?"<br>"Just get a flashlight and look!"

She managed to pull down her jeans and underwear enough so that he could have a good view. Another contraction came and she felt more fluid coming out of her, most of which got Steven in the eyes. She felt horrible.

"Billie?"  
>"Yes?"<br>"I don't see anything."  
>"What?"<br>"I mean I don't see a baby!"

Actually, come to think of it, the pains had lessened. She felt so stupid. She burst into tears.

"I thought I was having them I did I really did!"  
>"Shush. It's okay."<br>"I got you covered in amniotic fluid for nothing!"  
>"Okay, I'm going to clean myself up a bit. Why don't you lay here and then we'll leave for the hospital?"<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

"I'm sorry!"  
>"Stop saying that. You listen to me, Billie Wakefield. Try, anyways, I know you're in a lot of pain. I love you. I love our twins. If you had given birth to them right there on this couch I'd deliver them just like that. So don't go thinking you need to apologize for thinking they were coming out."<br>"I'm not sorry 'cause of that! I'm sorry I drenched you!"  
>"Oh. Well, thanks. I know you didn't mean too, though. Are you still leaking?"<br>"Yes. I have enough fluid for two full term babies, Steven, of course I am."

Billie needed to go to the bathroom-she needed to pee again and she had enough self preservation left to waddle to the toilet, leaking the entire way. She sat down, doubled over in pain. The contractions hurt. Even when she went to the bathroom she felt no relief. She stood and another contraction came over her-she had to lean against the sink to feel the slightest bit better. She knew that they had to go to the hospital. Now. She may have been a bit hasty declaring that the babies were coming that second, but she knew their births were imminent. With each contraction some more water came out.

She somehow managed to walk back to the living room.

"You-"  
>"I wanna go to the hospital, Steven!"<br>"Of course you can, pretty girl. Why don't you get changed, first? You're not wearing a shirt and your pants are soaked through."

Steven helped her walk to their bedroom and she felt another contraction hit as she closed the door behind her. She squeezed her legs together, knowing it wouldn't help, and she gripped the doorknob as the pain washed over her. Somehow, she managed to slip on a t-shirt, and she even managed to put on an overnight pad on a clean pair of panties and she tugged on her last pair of maternity jeans that fit. She went to button them, but that made the pressure increase, so she left them undone. She made it out of the bedroom, glad her bag was already packed and in the car.

He was by her side immediately, rubbing her back.

"You ready, pretty girl? You ready to have our twins?"  
>"Yeah. Ow. Ow. Owww. OWWWW!"<br>"Another contraction?"  
>"Uh-huh."<p>

She pressed her hands to her abdomen, trying to keep the pain away.

"Tell you what. Every time you have a contraction, you can squeeze my hand."  
>"Okay. Can you carry me downstairs? Please?"<br>"Of course."

He picked her up and they left the apartment. She shut her eyes, trying to forget that she was contracting with each step she was carried down.

"Can you carry me to the car?"  
>"Of course. I want you to sit up front with me. I'll recline the seat back for you."<br>"Okay..."

She didn't want to sit alone in the back, anyways. He carried her to the car and got her situated in the front. She breathed through another contraction. He sat in the driver's seat, stroking her hair, and she tried to get comfortable. It was likely a fruitless task as even the slightest bit of pressure on her belly made her contract even more. Wearing her seat belt was torturous.

Each contraction was at least as painful as the last. Steven noticed her pain, and he squeezed her hand.

"You're doing great, babe. It'll be all over soon, I promise."

She hoped so. He started to drive, slowly, and she sat up. Too slowly. Slowly enough to bring on her strongest contraction yet.

"GODDAMMIT! FUCK! DRIVE FASTER, STEVEN, FASTER! SHITTTT!"

He indeed sped up, slightly, and her contractions lulled.

"I have to stop and get gas, okay?"  
>"...Okay."<p>

He pulled into the service station and he went in to pay, and she unbuckled, finally feeling some relief.

"Isabella, I said NO! NO we do not pull regular gas in Bruce's Porche! Only Premium! Why don't you take this and go buy yourself a drink?"

She groaned. There was a rather long line and Isabella and Lila were sure to notice she was in labor. (Or maybe not as Lila seemed annoyed that she had to pump the gas and Isabella just looked at her quizzically.) She rolled down the window, realizing that Jessica's former roommate was the only thing more annoying than her contractions.

"Hi, Isabella. Why don't you go buy a candy bar like Lila said?"  
>"You're Steven's wife."<br>"I know."  
>"How do I know Steven?"<br>"He's Jessica's older brother-"

She had a contraction, fortunately at the same time that Lila noticed Isabella was bothering her.

"ISABELLA RICCI, LEAVE HER ALONE! GO INSIDE THE STORE RIGHT NOW!"

She'd never seen her run so fast in her entire life. Lila herself came over, looking concerned. She was a sight, she knew she was.

"You're heading to the hospital, right?"  
>"Yeah. I think the twins are coming soon. Quite soon."<br>"Fowler Memorial?"  
>"Yeah. I tried going there like 4 hours ago, but they sent me home, cause I wasn't in labor enough. I better be now."<p>

She glowered at her abdomen.

"Did your water break?"

It was all over the floor of the car! She gestured, in too much pain to speak, and Lila's eyes grew wide.

"Does Steven know?"

She nodded, the contractions coming on even stronger.

"Oh, honey, it must hurt, right?"  
>"Yeah. A lot."<br>"I'll have Daddy speak to the board. This is ridiculous!"  
>"What?"<br>"Daddy? George Fowler? Fowler Memorial?"

Ah, yes, she'd forgotten about that connection. Fortunately, Steven returned, and set off pumping the gas.

"Hey, babe, you doing any better?"  
>"A bit."<br>"You were talking to Lila?"  
>"Yeah-a bit."<br>"Come on. I think we should go to the hospital."

She managed a nod.

He got back into the car and gunned it, and she held her tongue, gripping his hand tightly. She closed her eyes, breathing through her contractions. She somehow managed to fall asleep.

"Steve?"  
>"Yeah, honey?"<br>"I have to push."

The urge had woken her, and it wouldn't go away.

"We're right near the hospital-"  
>"I can't wait-OOOOWWWW! DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT! SHITTTT-I THINK THE TWINS ARE COMING!"<p>

She pushed once, and she definitely felt something. A gush of water burst out of her, and she felt the contractions double in pain. Double! She bore down, trying to find any sort of relief.

"Bil-"  
>"Shut UP!"<br>"We're here, honey. Do you want a wheelchair?"  
>"No. I can walk."<p>

They'd been waiting to be seen for forever-the nurse in triage had just looked at her name and sighed-and Billie squirmed, still contracting, still leaking a little, and still sitting in a chair in the waiting room of the ER. Steven had left her there to see what was taking so long. She rubbed her belly through another contraction, mindful that there was children waiting in the room with her. She didn't want to expose them to any swears!

"See, Daddy? I told you they were treating them poorly! She's still sitting there! You should have seen her at the gas station!"  
>"Lila, princess, I said I'd deal with this. Why don't you go sit with, Billie, was it? Keep her company."<br>"Fine, Daddy."

Lila sat beside her and she felt so embarrassed-she was soaked and in pain-but she smiled weakly at her.

"Where's-"  
>"Izzy? Asleep at my house. I wasn't going to bring her here. Don't worry, Daddy's going fix everything for you, okay?"<br>"Okay-owwwwwwww..."  
>"It must be tough, being pregnant. I think it's amazing that you did it."<br>"It wasn't-ow-that bad-"  
>"How often are your contractions?"<br>"All the time."

Steven returned and sat beside her, seemingly unsurprised to see Lila sitting next to her too. He squeezed her hand, and she had another contraction.

"Babe, they said-"  
>"Daddy, did you bring the doctor?"<p>

Indeed, Mr. Fowler had brought the doctor, and she was so grateful she wanted to kiss him. Instead, she just waddled over to the wheelchair and sat down. She was finally going to be able to have the twins-not in the car or in the apartment but in the nice safe hospital. She was looking forward to her epidural. She felt vindicated.

And in nearly constant pain, but at least she felt a bit better when she squeezed Steven's hand.

Soon, they were settled in the hospital room, and she'd managed to get into a hospital gown. With Steven's help, she'd laid on the bed, him sitting next to her, each contraction coming closer and closer together. She could feel her water leaking out with each one, and she wanted the doctor to come in and check her, so she could see how far along she was. Much to her relief, the doctor came back in, ready to give her the exam.

"You're at an 8-why didn't you come in earlier?"  
>"I did. You sent me home."<br>"Oh, my."  
>"Can I have my epidural, please?"<p>

She felt another contraction on and she squeezed his hand tightly again, feeling the baby's position change in her womb.

"I'm sorry-you're too far along-"  
>"Mother fucker! Son of a bitch!"<p>

She pretended that her cursing had been due to a contraction.

"I'll go get you some ice. We're very busy tonight, though."

She leaned against the pillows-the contractions wouldn't stop coming. She didn't want ice, she wanted the twins to be born! So she would stop contracting! And so poor Steven's wrist and hand wouldn't be purple anymore! And so-oh God she felt the head, she was sure of it, She needed to push-right then.

"Steven?"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Honey, I need you to do me a favor. Can you see if one of the twins is-owwwwwwww-coming out?"  
>"Sure, babe."<p>

He went to the end of the bed and lifted up her hospital gown. She couldn't help it-she tried to stop-she gave a quick push.

"I think I see a head-do you-"

She knew that the doctor needed to be in there, so she nodded. A few seconds later, she knew she couldn't wait any longer. She pushed again, and the baby moved further down.

"STEVEN? OH GOD GET BACK IN HERE!"

He came running in and she pointed frantically to her belly. Another contraction came and she pushed, harder than before.

"The baby's coming!"  
>"I know, Steven. You'll need to catch her. Can you do that?"<br>"Of course."

She pushed again, feeling the baby's head leave her body and she heard her start to cry. Another contraction came, and another, and another, and their first baby was being held in Steven's arms.

"Oh, babe, look at her. She's beautiful. Were you able to get anyone's attention?"  
>"You did it, Bil. You wanna hold her?"<p>

She did, but the contractions and the doctor had come back, and she wasn't happy at either one of the interruptions. She started to cry, knowing the doctor was going to lecture her.

"I couldn't help it I was in so much pain I sent Steven to find you but I made him come back because I could feel the baby coming and couldn't stop it-OWWWWW! OWWWW! OWWW!"

She grabbed Steven's wrist and squeezed it tightly, feeling the urge to push yet again. The doctor had handed the first twin to their pediatrician, and went to get scrubbed up. He leaned in to her and gave her a kiss. It was a nice distraction from her cramping.

"Did you get to see her?"  
>"Yeah..."<br>"She's ours, babe. One of ours."  
>"Our other one's coming very soon."<br>"How soon?"

She fought the urge to push with the next contraction-poor Steven's wrist looked swelled up-and the doctor ran back in. She had a feeling that most people waited to give birth until they were in the delivery suite-but the baby was coming right then, just like her older sister.

He held one of her legs up and the nurse held up the other, and she pushed, leaning over in between contractions to see that her newest baby had a full head of hair. Despite the pain, she smiled, pushing at the next contraction. More of the baby came out and she pushed again, happy to hear her second daughter's cries-they were just as loud as her sister's.

After she was cleaned up a bit, they brought both the twins out to see them-poor Steven's arm was now in a cast, but he didn't look too upset. They'd given her a mild painkiller after she'd delivered the placenta, and she felt great-especially compared to how she'd felt earlier. She held both of their daughters, excited when they both tried to nurse. They were perfect.

"I'm sorry I broke your wrist."  
>"It's okay. It was worth it."<br>"Thank you for delivering her. You're my hero."

He really was. He kissed her on the cheek, and she shifted slightly so he could see the babies better. Little Grace, who'd been delivered by her daddy, pulled away from her breast and reached out towards them.

"Do you want to hold her?"  
>"You sure?"<br>"Yeah. Please hold her. She wants to see her daddy again."

He picked up Grace, gently, like she was a little doll, and she watched him rock her, cooing softly at her.

Audrey, the baby that was still hungrily nursing, had been the second to be born, and she kind of wished Steven had been the one to help deliver her too, but she was happy both her girls were finally here.

"Steven?"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Thanks for getting me pregnant."  
>"You're welcome."<br>"I'll have your babies anytime, you know that, right?"

She giggled, kissing him lightly.

"I know. I think we'll do some waiting, though."  
>"Okay. I love you, Steve."<br>"I love you too."

Audrey pulled away from her breast, letting out a contented sigh, and she closed both sides of her nursing bra. Somehow, they'd ended up with a private room.

She couldn't believe that less then twenty-four hours had passed since she'd felt her first contraction at Caseys. She was tired, but happy. So, so happy.

She heard a quiet knock on the door, and she took Grace from Steven, motioning that he should get it. He returned with Jessica, who looked slightly annoyed.

"I wanted to see them being born."  
>"I know, honey, but things just happened so fast-"<br>"Are those my nieces?"  
>"Yes. Do you want to hold one of them?"<br>"May I?"  
>"Of course. Your brother will help you."<p>

She handed him Grace and he knelt down beside the chair Jessica was sitting in and helped her hold the baby. She watched them, beaming, and she took a picture of them with her phone.

"Wow, did you really?"  
>"Yeah. I helped this little girl come meet the world, didn't I, Gracie?"<br>"Wow! That's so cool. You showered afterwards, right?"

She giggled. Obviously they'd both showered-that was why she smelled and looked halfway decent for having had twins three hours ago and for heaven's sake of course the hospital had made him shower before they put on his cast.

"Yes, Jess. And the babies are clean, too. Do you want to hold Audrey?"  
>"May I?"<br>"Of course. Give Grace to me, honey."

They did a bit of a twin switch and she took a picture of Jessica with Audrey as well.

"They look alike."  
>"Of course they do, sweetie. They're identical."<br>"I know. But it's still amazing."  
>"You mean that?"<br>"Yeah. They're my little nieces."  
>"They're actually your huge nieces, honey. They're over eight pounds each. It wasn't a fun labor. But it was worth it."<br>"They're beautiful..."  
>"I think so too."<br>"Can I hold them both?"

She nodded, patting the spot on the bed next to her.

"If you sit right here. And be very careful."  
>"I will. I promise."<p>

They sat together, Jessica holding both of the twins, and she looked down at her abdomen, amazed at how much weight she'd lost.

"I hear your mother is cleaning up my waters?"  
>"Yeah. She said it made her feel useful!"<br>"That's nice. The poor car..."  
>"Mike's gonna clean it up for you. Steven's insisted on paying him. What happened to his wrist, by the way?"<br>"Oh, God. I broke it during my contractions."  
>"Aww. See, babies? Your daddy was helping your mommy out when she was having you."<p>

She smiled at her sister-in-law.

"You're a great auntie."  
>"I am?"<br>"Yeah. Look at them-you've gotten Gracie to fall asleep and Audrey's contently staring at you."  
>"They must be tired."<br>"Babies sleep a lot."  
>"Do you want her back?"<br>"Who? Gracie? No, honey, she can sleep with her Auntie Jess-it's fine with me."  
>"I bet she's the one that was lazier, you know."<br>"You might be right."

Her sister-in-law's gaze fell on her breasts, and Billie smiled, as Steven returned from the bathroom.

"Are you breastfeeding them?"  
>"Yeah. I'm gonna try, anyways."<br>"Cool. Do you wanna hold Audrey, Steven?"


	17. Chapter 17

"Hey, there, Gracie. You're ready before everyone else, aren't you? Mommy and Audrey are still sleeping. Do you want Daddy to hold you?"

Steven picked up his daughter from her hospital bassinet and held her carefully. She was so tiny and beautiful-they both were-just like their mother. They even had her blue eyes, though their hair was dark brown like his. He kissed her on the forehead, breathing in her special baby smell.

"I love you, you know that, right? You're my Gracie-girl and Audrey's my Audrey-girl and you guys are gonna be best friends. Are you hungry?"

He bounced her lightly a few times, grinning when she appeared to smile at him. He knew logically that it was just gas, but he smiled back at her, shifting her in his arms-he didn't want her to get irritated due to his cast. Little Gracie seemed to know that he'd helped deliver her-she loved to be held by him. Both of them did, but she fussed in her bassinet until either one of them picked her up.

"Don't worry, Mommy will be up soon to feed you. We might be able to leave the hospital today and go home to our apartment, which is above Auntie Jessica's and Uncle Mike's. Do you want that?"

She gave him a happy sigh, which he took to be a yes, and he sat in the chair beside his wife's hospital bed, watching her sleep. He started to rock her, well as best he could with his broken wrist, and she stared at him.

"What are you lookin' at? I'm your daddy, sweetie. That's your mommy. And that baby in the other bassinet's your sister. She's only a few minutes younger than you, but you're still her big sister. I know you'll be a great one."  
>"Steven? How long has she been up?"<br>"About fifteen minutes. You wanna hold her?"

Billie sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"I think she might be hungry. Come sit on the bed next to me. Thanks for getting up with them."  
>"You're welcome. I figured you needed your rest."<p>

And he actually liked to get up with the twins, to try to comfort them on his own, to change their diapers and sing them little lullabies (they didn't complain about his singing yet!) so he didn't mind being the one to wake up when they did. Especially after Billie's labor.

He handed her Grace and climbed on to the hospital bed, watching her nurse their little one with curiosity. She smiled, noticing. He moved closer to them, wrapping his broken arm around her shoulders.

"It's a little weird."  
>"What is?"<br>"Breastfeeding."  
>"Oh. Why?"<br>"'Cause it's just kinda weird-it's hard to explain. It's gotten easier, Gracie especially has gotten the hang of it. See?"

He watched their daughter nurse hungrily while he kissed his wife on the cheek.

"I think this is all amazing."  
>"I know you do. I think Audrey's waking up."<p>

He looked over at their other daughter, seeing that she was indeed stirring, and he climbed off the bed and picked her up, bouncing her lightly. She squirmed around for a few minutes, finally settling down when he sat down in the rocking chair.

"Hey, Audrey-girl, you're awake! You gotta wait until Gracie's done eating before Mommy feeds you, though!"

The baby gazed at him questioningly. He nuzzled her as they rocked. Soon, she was contently staring at his bright red cast-both twins liked to fixate on it whenever they noticed it.

"Steven? There's someone at the door. Why don't you take Gracie and give me Audrey and see who it is?"

He stood, taking Grace from Billie and handing her Aubrey. His daughter stared at him as they opened the door-and saw who was on the other side. Though she looked exactly identical to their previous night's visitor, Steven could tell the twins apart, and knew the one in front of him was Elizabeth. Who was supposed to be in Denver.

"Liz?"  
>"Isabella called me. She told me that Billie had twins."<br>"Isabella? Ricci?"

Of course.

"Yes. I decided to come visit. It's only polite."

He had to let her in. He shot Billie an apologetic look.

"Do you want to hold her?"  
>"I suppose."<br>"Okay. This is Grace. Billie's just nursing Audrey right now."

He left his sister sitting in the chair holding their youngest child, sitting back up on the bed next to his wife. He squeezed her shoulders, noticing that Audrey had pulled away from her breast to see the action. He went to pick her up, but she started to nurse again, deciding the milk was more interesting than her wayward aunt. Grace started to fuss.

"You take her back. She doesn't like me."  
>"Okay, Liz. Don't be ridiculous, though, you're their aunt. They like you."<br>"Yeah, right. This one started to cry the second you left."

He took his daughter, who was barely upset, in his arms, noticing that she stopped fussing with him there. The air was thick with unshed tension, and he made a mental note to try to knock Isabella in the head again-things like this couldn't keep happening! Beside him, his wife burped Audrey, and offered her to Liz.

"No, that's okay."  
>"Elizabeth, don't be ridiculous."<br>"She'd rather be with you. I understand."  
>"Just hold her. She's a baby. She just likes being around her parents, that's all."<p>

And the twins were probably confused as to why Auntie Jessica wasn't as in to them as she'd been the night before. He'd really wanted to avoid this.

"Fine. I'll hold her. Can I give them a bottle?"  
>"No, honey, I'm breastfeeding. Exclusively. Thanks for the offer, though."<br>"You'd let Jessica!"  
>"No, honey, I wouldn't. Not yet, anyways."<br>"You like her more than me!"

He had to step in. He wasn't going to let his wife's hormones get the best of her and he wasn't going to let Elizabeth treat her like that. He stood, cradling Grace in one arm, and approached her, handing Audrey to his wife. He made his sister stand, and propelled her to the door. He shut it behind her, shaking his head.

"Sorry, babe."  
>"It's okay. Thanks for getting her to leave."<br>"You're welcome."  
>"You're still my hero. You know that, right?"<br>"I know."


	18. Chapter 18

"Come on, Gracie, let Mommy get you dressed. We get to go home this afternoon! Aren't you excited? We're all healthy and we get to go back to our nice apartment! Don't you want to look all pretty like your little sister?"

Billie looked over at Steven and Audrey, who'd fallen asleep in the rocking chair together. She smiled at them, glad that this parenting thing wasn't too hard. At least, not yet. She was so happy they were going to go home that afternoon. She was sick of the nurses, the doctors, the hospital bed, everything. She finished dressing Grace, hoping she wouldn't spit up on her outfit, and they walked around the room together.

"Apologize to them, Izzy! Right now!"  
>"I didn't do anything!"<p>

The knock on the door was quiet, and she almost didn't hear it. She carried Gracie to the door, unsurprised to see Lila and Isabella there. She didn't really blame Isabella for the Elizabeth incident, she knew her memory was still shot, so she gave them both a genuine smile.

"Hey, guys. You wanna see the babies?"  
>"Oh, can we? Lila says I have to apologize to you and Steven-"<br>"It's okay. You meant well. Do you want to hold her? This is Grace."

She let them take a closer look at the baby, who was cuddled up against her chest, half asleep. Lila spoke first.

"Wow. She's beautiful."  
>"Thanks. For everything."<p>

She meant it, too.

"You're welcome. Is she the one that Steven caught?"  
>"Yeah. She's a total daddy's girl. You can come in, if you want. Just be quiet 'cause Steven's fallen asleep with Audrey."<br>"Do you want to, Izzy?"

Isabella nodded, reaching for the baby, obviously wanting to hold her. Not wanting her to get dropped, Billie led her to a chair, making sure she sat before she held the baby. Grace looked slightly disgruntled when she handed her to her, and she felt rather flattered.

"Hey, baby. You look like your mom. What's her name again?"  
>"Grace, honey."<br>"Oh, that's a pretty name. Hey, Grace. I'm Isabella. I go to school with your mom and dad."

The poor baby looked so confused, and she had a feeling she was starting to get hungry.

"Do you mind if I take her?"  
>"No, go ahead. She's so beautiful."<p>

She took the baby from her and cuddled her close to her chest, unsurprised when she started rooting around for her breast. She knew she was getting hungry, but she didn't want to offend them by breastfeeding like she'd accidentally done Liz.

"Do you want us to go?"  
>"You don't have to leave, I just think this little girl wants to have some milk. And, well, apparently it made Liz uncomfortable-"<br>"Oh, don't worry about it."

Lila whispered to her.

"I'm actually kind of relieved you are breastfeeding because Isabella wanted to give them a bottle. And she's driving me nuts. She's more needy than a newborn."

Billie giggled, sitting in the other chair, and she let Grace start to nurse. She'd already learned how to do it discreetly enough so that other people didn't really notice. The twins had been quick learners, too.

"Lila? Isabella? What are you guys doing here?"  
>"They came to see the twins, honey."<br>"Oh, okay. I must have fallen asleep."  
>"You did. You fell asleep with Audrey. Isabella apologized for Elizabeth, by the way."<br>"Oh. You didn't have to."  
>"That's what I told her."<p>

Audrey stirred as Steven rocked her, looking at their visitors.

"Oh, there's two of them!"

Lila groaned, burying her face in her hands as Isabella made the proclamation.

"Do you want to hold Audrey, Izzy?"  
>"Can I?"<br>"Sure, Steven will bring her over."

He did, settling the baby in Isabella's arms. She knew Audrey would want to be fed soon, but she seemed interested enough in the stranger for the moment.

"Wow, they look alike!"  
>"Isabella Ricci. They are identical twins. I told you this when you saw the pictures Jessica put on facebook."<br>"You did?"  
>"Yes..."<br>"Wow. Is that why Billie wasn't in class today?"  
>"...Yes..."<p>

Grace had finished with her meal and she handed her to Steven, reaching out for Audrey. Lila took her from Isabella and placed her in Billie's arms. She started nursing immediately, from her other breast.

"We should go."  
>"Oh, you don't have to leave."<br>"Isabella has therapy. And Daddy has arranged for me to have a private swiss massage-and Isabella is d-r-i-v-i-n-g m-e n-u-t-s."  
>"Okay. Thanks for coming."<br>"You're welcome."


	19. Chapter 19

"Honey, they're fine. They're sound asleep in their car seats and I'm back here with them. Don't worry about them. You just concentrate on driving us home, okay?"  
>"I can't help it. I'll always worry about them."<br>"I know. And that's okay. But right now they're just taking a little nap in the car."  
>"You okay back there, babe?"<br>"Honey, I'm fine. Don't worry. You concentrate on driving us home, okay?"  
>"Okay. Do you want the radio on?"<br>"Sure. Softly, though."  
>"Okay, babe."<p>

Steven turned the radio on nearly as soft as it would go, and he drove down the freeway, knowing that they'd be home soon enough. Home. He could hardly wait. He knew that they were now totally responsible for the twins, and while the prospect sort of scared him, it also made him incredibly happy. He just knew they would be good parents.

He glanced back at his three girls, all sitting in the back seat together, and he grinned, catching Billie's eye. She smiled back at him, and he reluctantly returned his attention to the road ahead of him, realizing that less than three days before he'd been frantically driving to the hospital-they'd nearly had the twins in the car! (Well, in his car, which poor Mike had taken to clean out.) He couldn't believe how much their lives had changed in less than 72 hours. Now he was a father, and she was a mother, and they were the parents to the two most beautiful girls ever.

So far they were easy babies, too. And Billie had recovered well from her ordeal (the hospital had admitted that perhaps they should have admitted her earlier that day) though her doctor had said it was good they came in when they did because otherwise the twins may have actually been born in the car. He knew they'd had a close call with that! He still had his broken wrist, but that was a small price to pay for a healthy wife and two healthy twin daughters. He wanted to sit in the back with them, too, but he knew he had to concentrate on driving. They'd be back to the apartment soon enough, and he'd be able to love up his three girls there.

"Thanks for making me a mommy."  
>"You're welcome. Thanks for making me a daddy."<br>"You're welcome. I'm so glad we have the twins, babe."  
>"Me too. Me too. I'm glad you didn't give birth in the car."<br>"I thought I was going to. Honestly I thought I was. It felt like I was. I had been fighting the urge to push since we'd left the gas station-not all the time, just off and on-and I couldn't any longer."  
>"Oh, babe. Why didn't you tell me?"<br>"'Cause I didn't wanna worry you. Besides, everything worked out fine. We have two amazing little girls."

He watched in the mirror as she leaned over to kiss them both, and he smiled. She was a great mom, she really was. Motherhood had came naturally to her. The twins had taken to breastfeeding easily, and he knew she enjoyed the extra bonding time it warranted them, and she just seemed so...happy. He liked that. The uncertainty she'd felt in the beginning of her pregnancy had disappeared long ago-since her second prenatal appointment, the one he'd been too, and he was so glad it had.

"We're almost home."  
>"I know. Audrey's up. Hey, sweetie. I know you're hungry, I know. I know you wanna get held, I know. You'll just have to wait a few more minutes, okay?"<br>"Aw, Audrey, we're almost home. See? All I gotta do is make this turn into the parking lot and our apartment's right there."  
>"Daddy's right, sweetie. And then I'll carry you upstairs in your car seat and Daddy will carry your sister and my bag if he doesn't mind."<br>"Sure thing, babe."

He parked near the entrance to the apartments and got out of the car, walking over to the backseat passenger's side door to open it for her. He helped her out of the car and handed Audrey's car seat to her, making funny faces at his little girl for a few seconds. He slung her duffle bag over his shoulder and shut the door. Noticing that Grace had woken, he hurried over to the other side of the car and got her out. He made the same funny faces he'd done with her sister, and she stared at him, reaching out for him.

"Hey, Gracie. I'll play with you when we get back upstairs, okay?"

She cooed, and he grinned, and they followed Billie and Audrey up the stairs and into their apartment. Once inside, he put the car seat down on the kitchen table, next to a note from his mother. Picking up Grace with one arm, he held the note with the other.

_Dear Steven and Billie,_

_Thank you for allowing me the honor of cleaning up your apartment! What a treat! It's quite boring to re-clean one's own home. Anyways, I hope you and the twins (it is twins, right?) are doing well, and I'll bring Elizabeth down to see them again soon!_

_Love,_

_Mom_

"Why don't we go sit on the couch with Mommy and Audrey and tell her that nutso nana left us a letter, huh, Gracie? You wanna do that?"

He bounced her lightly and they sat on the couch next to Billie and Audrey, who he could tell was happily chugging away. He reached over and gently rubbed her little head, hoping he wasn't distracting her from her feeding. Gracie reached out for her younger sister (or maybe her mother, he wasn't sure) and he moved slightly closer to them. He had to admit, his mother hadn't done that bad cleaning the place up.

"Your mother wrote us a letter?"  
>"Yeah."<br>"Still crazy as ever?"  
>"Yeah."<br>"Don't worry about it, honey. I'm sure she'll be fine with the twins."

He wished he shared her faith. His cell phone went off and he read the text from his baby sister. _Can't I come see the twins? Pleeeeeasssseee? I wanna see them!_ He showed it to her.

"Sure she can, honey. Auntie Jessica's coming to visit, Audrey! Are you all done with your yummies?"

She burped Audrey, and he responded to the text. Gracie eyed his phone with interest. _Sure, Jess. Come up now._

"You hungry, Grace? Mommy wants to feed you."

She reached for Billie and he handed her to her, taking Audrey. The knock on the door came sooner than he expected.

"That must be Auntie Jess. Come on, Audrey-girl. Let's get the door."

He opened the door, surprised to see his sister and Prince Albert, who was straining at his leash. And who smelled of Febreeze. He waved them in, assuming they'd dealt with his mother. The dog stopped in front of Billie, looking confused.

"Hey, Prince Albert, what are you doing here?"  
>"Mom is downstairs cleaning our apartment. She wanted to polish him! Oh, is that Grace?"<br>"Yes. This is my little hungry Gracie. You can hold Audrey, if you want. Just ask Steven."

***

"Hi little Audrey, I'm Auntie Jessica. You look sleepy."

Jessica held her niece just like Steven had showed her the time she'd visited them in the hospital and she smiled as the baby yawned, looking off in the distance. Prince Albert sat on the floor in front of her (she wondered if maybe he smelled Billie's breastmilk and thought he'd be getting a treat) and her big brother had gone into his bedroom to get the menu for the Chinese food restaurant. Billie sat beside her, still nursing Grace.

"You're really good with the twins, Jess."  
>"You think so?"<br>"Yeah. Look at how content Audrey looks. She's gonna fall asleep, I think."  
>"Is that okay?"<br>"Yeah. She's a newborn. She'll be sleeping a lot."

She shifted her niece in her arms, holding her close. She wanted to kiss her, but she wanted to make sure it was okay.

"Can I kiss her, Billie?"  
>"Sure. Be gentle, though."<br>"I will be."

She kissed the baby on the cheek, noticing that she was finally looking at her. Her niece. Her youngest niece. She caressed her cheek, glad that they were both healthy. And here. She knew that her sister-in-law had been so uncomfortable as her pregnancy progressed.

"They're amazing, don't you think?"  
>"Huh?"<br>"The twins."  
>"Yeah."<br>"You do?"  
>"Yeah. I love them."<p>

Prince Albert let out a doggy sigh, and Audrey looked around-well as best as a two-almost three-day old baby could.

"Whatcha looking at, Audrey-girl? Is that the doggy? Do you hear the doggy?"

Her big brother was already one of the best dads she knew. He was so into the babies-she knew it had killed him to hand Audrey to her for a few minutes, and she thought it was great. Prince looked the slightest bit disgruntled to be referred to as "the doggy", but he reached down and gave the dog a pat with his broken wrist.

"Did you see the twins, Prince? Billie had them the other day. I'm a daddy now."

Her sister-in-law giggled as he proudly told their childhood pet that he was a father. The dog wagged his tail and stood, sniffing curiously at Billie.

"This is a baby, Prince Albert. Her name is Grace. The one Jessica's holding is Audrey."

Prince Albert gave her a lick.

"No, don't lick the babies yet. They're too little. Okay?"

The dog seemed to understand that if he didn't behave he'd get cleaned again, so he sat back down.

"You hungry?"  
>"Yeah, a bit. Do you want to stay for dinner, Jess? We're ordering Chinese, I think."<br>"Okay. Can I hold Grace now?"  
>"Of course, honey. Give Audrey to your big brother and take Grace from me."<p>

Steven had sat beside her and he eagerly took his daughter, cradling her in the crook of his arm. She had a feeling that she needed to get changed, though.

"I think you need your diaper changed, Audrey. Don't worry. Daddy's gonna do it for you."

They disappeared off into the bedroom, leaving her alone with Billie and Grace.

"Was it scary?"  
>"What, honey?"<br>"Labor."  
>"Not really. Your brother was great. It was very painful, though. I'm still a bit sore."<br>"Oh."  
>"I almost gave birth in the car, you know that, right?"<br>"Yeah, I know. Steven told me."  
>"And then he helped deliver little Gracie. He's my hero, he really is. He thinks I'm just sayin' that but it's true."<br>"I know he is."  
>"I just love them so much, you know? I'm so glad I decided to keep 'em."<br>"I am too."  
>"Steven told me that he'd support me no matter what, you know? But I wanted to start a family with him eventually so I am glad the twins happened when they happened. Besides, I took one look at that ultrasound the first time and just knew. Knew that they were my babies and that I wanted to be a mommy."<br>"I'm glad you decided that-"  
>"I wish my parents were less disappointed in me but I guess it doesn't really matter. Honey, she's got your hair!"<p>

Indeed, Grace had made an attempt at pulling her hair, and she smiled down at her little niece. She was just perfect. They both were.

"I love you, Gracie. But don't pull my hair, it's not nice."

She gave her a kiss on the cheek, just like she'd done her sister.


	20. Chapter 20

That night, they laid together in bed, comfortably spooning, for the first time in about a month. She didn't need the pile of pillows to fall asleep anymore, and he wasn't afraid that she'd go into labor if he accidentally turned her on. Both of these improvements were due to their three day old identical twins, who were currently sound asleep in their co-sleeper. The co-sleeper was on her side of the bed so she could easily feed them in the middle of the night. She knew Steven was slightly jealous of her proximity to the twins, and she did feel bad for him, but right now it was for the best.

"Babe?"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"I love you."  
>"I love you, too."<p>

His mouth was pressed against her neck and the vibrations from his words sent tingles down her spine. She wanted him, she really did, but not when she was still sore and still bleeding from her fun little experience with labor.

"What are you doing?"  
>"Nothing. Just trying to get comfortable, that's all. I missed being able to lay like this with you."<br>"I did too. It was worth it, though. Look at them."  
>"They are pretty cute."<br>"Thank you, babe."  
>"For what?"<br>"For giving us our girls."  
>"You're welcome. You helped make them too, you know."<br>"I know."

She moved closer to him, so tired. Being a mom was hard work, it really was. The babies were great, but so, so exhausting.

"I'm tired, Steven."  
>"Okay, babe. Good night."<br>"...Night..."

She fell asleep easily, his arms wrapped around her.

Soon enough, Audrey's whimpers woke her, and she sat up in bed. She picked her up and cradled her in her arms, trying to wake up enough to see what was wrong. She couldn't smell anything, so it wasn't her diaper. And she seemed pretty content to stare at Billie while she rocked her. She decided to try to feed her, to see if that was what had woken her, and she started to eagerly nurse. Soon, Gracie stirred.

"What's wrong, princess? You hungry too? Do you want to try to nurse on the opposite breast as your little sister?"

She offered it to her and she latched on, sucking away. Beside her, Steven stirred.

"Hey, babe. You need any help?"  
>"No, that's alright. They're both eating right now, anyways."<br>"At the same time?"

He seemed sort of impressed.

"Yeah. One on each breast. They were both hungry so I decided to give it a try."  
>"Wow. Good for you, babe. You've really got this mommy thing down already."<p>

He kissed the top of her head as she beamed.

"You really think so?"  
>"Yeah. You're a great mom."<br>"Thanks."

Audrey finished first, making her pleasure known by giving a happy sigh as she spat out her breast. She automatically when to burp her, hesitating when she saw the hopeful look on Steven's face. She knew he'd want to help.

"Do you wanna burp her, honey? That would be a big help."  
>"Of course! Give her here."<p>

She handed their younger daughter to him, and he started to talk to her, using a silly voice she thought was so adorable.

"Come burp for Daddy, sweetie. That's a good girl."

She belched, but cutely, and he held her close-for such big babies, they were both teeny in their daddy's arms. She refocused her attention on her Gracie, who was still eating, noticing her nipple was halfway out of her mouth. She gently repositioned her baby and breast and let her continue.

Audrey was still wide awake and she had a feeling she needed to be changed. She was a bit stinky.

"Can-"  
>"Of course. Come on, little girlie. Let's get your diaper changed."<br>"Thank you."

Billie watched the two of them, and Grace finished eating and started up at her. She welled up, her hormones getting the best of her: _she couldn't believe that something so beautiful was theirs_. Fortunately, she picked her up, regaining her composure.

"You all done, honey? Was that a nice, yummy, meal?"

She burped her, kissing her gently. Steven had returned, and both the twins eyed one another. She knew that they couldn't really see each other quite yet, but she held Gracie as close to her little sister as possible.

"This is your twin, sweetie. You two are gonna be best friends."

She noticed that Audrey was falling asleep and she laid them both in the co-sleeper. She closed her nursing bra, exhausted. She snuggled up with Steven and fell back to sleep.

"Good morning, babe. I let you sleep as long as you could. The twins are getting hungry."

Billie woke up-her shirt drenched in breastmilk-and she propped herself against the pillows, taking both Audrey and Grace and giving them each a breast. She watched them eat-it was truly fascinating to see how fast they latched on-relieved that some of the hardness in her breasts was going away. She couldn't believe she'd leaked milk all over herself (and likely on Steven's arms-thankfully his cast was waterproofed)! She was starving. Just like their twins.

"You didn't have to."  
>"I know. But we had some fun Daddy-daughters time before they got too hungry to not cry for you, didn't we?"<p>

He reached out and caressed both twins' backs.

"Jessica wants me to bring them to class."  
>"You should. Not now, obviously, but when they get a bit bigger."<br>"I was thinking I'd bring them for my first class back. That's in two weeks. Would you girlies like that? You enjoyed Mommy's classes when you were in her belly."

She knew they couldn't respond, but she couldn't help talking to them like they could.


	21. Chapter 21

"Jess? Are you okay?"  
>"She called me a whore! Mom let her call me a whore!"<br>"I know. Steven's dealing with it. I just have to feed the twins and thought you might want me to do it here. You can stay with me and the twins if you want."

Jessica, who'd been crying heavily, slowly lifted her head to see the Billie was standing there, holding both Grace and Audrey in her arms. She nodded, wanting more than anything to get the chance to hold her baby nieces. She couldn't believe they were almost two weeks old already!

"Can I hold them?"  
>"You can hold Gracie. Audrey's a little fussy right now 'cause she's hungry, aren't you, little one?"<p>

She took Grace, grinning as the baby let out a happy coo. She moved over to the side of the bed her brother slept on and her sister-in-law sat next to her, holding Audrey, and she watched her lift her shirt and bra to feed her. Gracie was eager to be held, and she was happy to oblige. She loved being an auntie.

"Why didn't you feed them in the living room?"  
>"I wanted to check on you...and I don't feel comfortable breastfeeding in front of Liz."<br>"Oh. Don't feel that way. The twins need food. And I think it's cool that you can feed them wherever you want to."  
>"You do?"<br>"Yeah. Isn't it good for the babies too?"  
>"Yeah. I went to their week appointment-they've gotten to be almost 10 pounds. I didn't think I'd be able to do it, you know. I thought I'd try and switch to formula, but these girls really picked up on it."<p>

She did think breastfeeding was a little weird, but she didn't say anything. She just knew her sister was full of disapproval, and she hated it. She wanted Elizabeth to go back to Denver.

Grace had gotten her earring, and she unwrapped the baby's chubby hands from it. She blew a raspberry on her belly to distract her-she didn't want to start her crying-and it worked, much to her surprise. She'd even changed their diapers the other day-only after getting Steven to promise that she'd only have to do it if they'd just been wet-and it hadn't been that bad. Audrey had kinda stared at her the whole time, only whimpering because she was cold, and Gracie had almost fallen asleep!

"I think you're doing everything right, Billie. You and Steven are great parents."  
>"Thanks, honey. Do you want to hold Audrey while I see if my Gracie needs to eat?"<br>"Okay. Hey, Gracie, time to see your mommy."

Audrey looked less than thrilled about being removed from where she was cuddled near Billie's breasts, but Jessica distracted her, too, by blowing her gentle raspberries on her belly.

"She might get tired, honey. Do you mind if she sleeps on you?"  
>"No, that's okay. She's my niece. She can snuggle with me and fall asleep all the time."<br>"Okay. Do you want to try to get her to fall asleep?"  
>"Sure."<br>"Okay. Just start rocking her, honey, that should do it."

Indeed, it did, and the baby was soon sound asleep in her arms. She smiled at her, not daring to talk. Steven walked in and sat on the edge of the bed nearest his wife.

"Hey, babe. You okay in here?"  
>"Yeah. Look at Audrey. Jess got her to fall asleep!"<p>

He leaned over and ruffled her hair.

"Good for you, Jess."  
>"Thanks, Steve."<br>"You're a good auntie. Sorry Liz and Mom were talking smack about you."  
>"It's okay. Gracie and Audrey love me and that's all that matters right now."<br>"They must remember how you used to feel them when Billie was pregnant."  
>"You think so?"<br>"Yeah."

She noticed that Grace had fallen asleep after her feeding, and she motioned at Steven, wondering if he needed to take her.

"Do you want me to get Gracie, babe?"  
>"You don't have to."<br>"You sure?"  
>"Do you want to get her to sleep?"<br>"Can't I? Oh, please?"

She watched Billie hand her to Steven, who expertly cradled her with one arm. She wished she was as confident with the babies as they were.

Well, they were her brother's children, it was to be expected. He spoke to her.

"Did Billie tell you she's gonna bring the twins to class with you tomorrow?"  
>"You are?"<p>

Her sister-in-law nodded.

"I have to go back to school, don't I? And they can't be left without me yet. Only 'cause your brother can't breastfeed 'em."  
>"Yay!"<br>"You're really excited?"  
>"Yeah. Everyone's asked about you."<br>"They have?"  
>"Yeah."<p>

***

"Thanks for driving to school with us, Jess. I really appreciate it."  
>"You're welcome. The twins look so cute in their matching outfits."<br>"Thanks. Your brother picked them out. He even tried to do their hair, but they don't have enough yet."

Billie drove on to the campus of Sweet Valley University, actually eager to resume classes. She knew that the dean had promised that she'd still be able to graduate, but she was a bit stir crazy and she knew it would do her and the twins a bit of good to get out of the apartment. Steven had had to return to work the day before, anyways. She knew that the twins already knew when their daddy wasn't around, and she wanted to distract them from his absence. She parked the car, slinging her diaper bag over her shoulder, and she opened the trunk, setting up the twins' double stroller. Jessica brought both Audrey and Grace over and she snapped their car seats into the stroller, leaning over to shower them with kisses. She popped their pacifiers in their mouths, which they readily took.

"Are you guys gonna behave during Mommy's classes?"

She desperately hoped the answer was yes. Especially as they looked quite content for the moment. She began to push the carriage along the path that bordered the quad and Jessica walked beside her. Much to her surprise, Chas approached them, looking nearly apologetic.

"What do you want?"  
>"Congratulations. Sorry I treated you like shit when you got pregnant with Wakefield's kids. These them?"<br>"Yes, Chas. Their names are Grace and Audrey. And my _husband's name is Steven_. Stop calling him Wakefield."  
>"Okay! God, can't you-"<br>"I really can't, Chas. It's too late. You don't really mean it, anyways. Come on, Jess, let's go."

They left him standing there, looking rather confused, and she cooed at the babies, hoping they'd forget the sleazy violinist quite quickly! They seemed to. In fact, they appeared to be drifting off to sleep. Jessica looked upset.

"Aw."  
>"I'm sure they'll be up soon, Jess. Let's just get to class."<p>

Class passed uneventfully, and sure enough, by the end, the twins had awoken and were looking around at their new surroundings. Which, by the time class ended, included most of the girls that were at the lecture-they all wanted to see the twins.

"Isabella PLEASE wait your turn!"  
>"But Lila!"<br>"Don't 'but Lila' me! You can't just push in front of everyone!"  
>"Why can't I?"<br>"Because it is rude."  
>"Why?"<br>"Because they want to see the twins too!"

Fortunately, the crowd soon thinned-people had classes to get to, after all. They walked out into the hallway: her and Jessica with the twins, followed by Lila and Isabella.

"Can-"  
>"Isabella, what did I say?"<br>"Mommy said I could!"  
>"Your mother caused a lot of issues by saying you could call Elizabeth!"<br>"I forgot they weren't speaking!"  
>"You've forgotten everything!"<br>"It's not my fault! I didn't know the cigarette was laced and that I couldn't fly!"

She busied herself changing Grace, keeping her giggles to a minimum.

"Do you want to hold Audrey, Lila?"  
>"You want me to?"<br>"Sure. Go ahead. Jess can show you how."


	22. Chapter 22

Steven looked for Billie and the twins rather frantically, finding them in their bedroom, sound asleep. It appeared that she'd fallen asleep while nursing and that the twins had followed. He slipped out of his suit and climbed into bed with them, leaning over and stroking his wife's beautiful hair. She slowly woke, staring blearily at him.

"Hey, babe, you and the girls decide to take a nap?"  
>"Oh, God, what time is it? I have to make us dinner."<br>"Don't worry, babe. Mike made us a lasagna we can heat up. Let's just snuggle together. Can I snuggle with one of our girls?"  
>"Yeah. You can take Gracie. She's kinda awake."<p>

He held his Grace in his arms, breathing in her special baby smell. She snuggled against his chest and soon fell back to sleep.

"Did you go to school?"  
>"Yeah. We had a good time. How was work?"<br>"Good. Everyone asked how the twins were. I said you'd bring 'em by once they got a bit bigger."  
>"I will. I promise. They missed you."<br>"They did?"  
>"Yeah. They knew you weren't there. Fortunately all the people who wanted to see them tired them out."<br>"Aww. They took it well, though?"  
>"Yeah. They slept through most of my classes, though they managed to wake up just as classes were ending so people could admire them. People seemed happy to see me."<br>"That's good. I'm glad. What's with this shirt?"  
>"Oh, I know. I needed one I could easily breastfeed with."<br>"I like it-it's boobtastical. You're leaking a bit of milk."

She looked down at her chest and she sighed, putting her breasts back in and closing up her nursing bra. She kissed him on the lips.

"Thanks for telling me."  
>"You're welcome. Lookit, Audrey's waking up."<p>

He watched his baby girl stir, trying to snuggle closer to her mommy, and he beamed. He was a dad. A father. A daddy. And their babies were the two most beautiful girls in the whole world. Grace let out a snort, still snoring on his shoulder.

"They're so peaceful."  
>"Yeah, now. They might become little terrors like the twins did, though."<br>"We're actually going to be parenting our children, dear. That won't happen."

He breathed a sigh of relief. He nuzzled her neck, knowing they couldn't do much more until at least her 6 week appointment, but not really being able to help himself. She was so sexy to him-even with her hair half up in a topknot and being two weeks postpartum with twins. Hell, that simple fact that she'd carried his twins made him even more in awe of her.

"I love you, babe."  
>"I love you too. Hey, Gracie. Did you decide to wake up?"<p>

She stroked the baby's cheek, and he grinned at her as she started instinctively rooting around on his shirt. He knew she wanted the boob, but it was still endearing.

"You hungry, Grace? I'm sure Mommy will feed you."  
>"It's partly a reflex. But she might be hungry. Come here, let's see if you're hungry, sweetie."<p>

He handed her the baby, watching her latch on.

"Does that hurt?"  
>"Not really. It's a bit uncomfortable at times but no, it doesn't hurt."<br>"Okay."  
>"Look, in a couple weeks I'm going to start pumping. You can give 'em a bottle or two when we introduce them to the concept. The breast from Mommy, bottles from Daddy. Sound good?"<br>"Yeah. I want to be more involved."  
>"Oh, honey. You're very involved. Here, do you wanna change Audrey's diaper for me?"<br>"Sure. Come here, Audrey-girl. Come get changed."

He picked up Audrey and walked over to their dresser, where Billie had set up a makeshift changing table. He grabbed the clean diaper and the wipes and set about changing her, going it as quickly as he could. He finished up and blew a raspberry on her belly, putting on a clean onesie. Audrey smiled at him (he still wasn't sure if it was a real smile or just gas) and he smiled back, picking her up.

They walked back over to the bed where Billie was still nursing Grace. Audrey reached out for her, and she smiled. He bounced her, taking to her.

"You hungry again? You want some more milk? I bet you do. Guess what? In a couple weeks Daddy's gonna start giving you bottles! Won't that be fun?"

She stared at him, and he brought her close for a kiss.

"Honey, can I have her? You can take Gracie."

He hated to give her up, but he knew she was hungry, and, besides, he loved holding Gracie too.

"Do you need your diaper changed, sweetie?"

He gave her a quick sniff, sort of relieved that she didn't need to have hers changed yet.

"Sit on the bed next to me."

He did, and Gracie looked at her and Audrey in confusion-they usually were fed at the same time after all.

***

"Hello Prince Albert, what are you doing here? Have you come to see the twins?"

Billie had a feeling Alice was cleaning Jessica and Mike's apartment again-the dog looked awfully shiny and nearly sparkled-and he smelled of air freshener. She sighed, letting him follow her into the apartment, where both twins were wide awake and playing in their swings while she unpacked the groceries. Prince Albert wandered around the apartment, settling in front of the twins. She walked over, giving him a treat from the box of milkbones she'd bought.

"Now you be good to the twins, okay, Prince. They're just babies."

The dog simply crunched on his treat, looking solemnly at her. She yawned, putting the milk and produce in the fridge and the ice cream in the freezer. The twins had been good during their shopping trip-better than she'd expected-and she was so happy they were well behaved. So happy.

She finished putting the groceries away, and she heard a knock on the door. She stuck a lollipop in her mouth and went to open it, surprised to see Mike standing there. She waved him in, glad to have a visitor.

"Hey, Mike. You looking for the dog?"  
>"How did you know?"<br>"'Cause I saw Alice drive up and found the dog sitting outside my apartment a few minutes later. Come in, he's laying near the babies."

Mike followed her inside, and she smiled at him, noticing that the dog had fallen asleep. Gracie and Audrey were staring at it, and she sat on the floor beside them, petting Prince Albert.

"See? This is a doggy, girlies. He's a golden retriever and he's three years old. Right now he lives with Auntie Jessica and Uncle Mike. Do you want to hold them, Mike?"  
>"At once?"<br>"Well, you could try, but I meant one at a time. Do you want a drink?"  
>"Sure."<p>

She picked up Audrey and handed her to Mike-who cautiously held her daughter. She got two cans of diet coke from the fridge and brought them out to the living room, setting them on the table. She noticed that Grace looked confused (she was likely looking for her sister) and she got her out of the swing, cradling her.

"See, Gracie, Audrey's right here. She didn't go away."  
>"No, she was looking for you, I think."<br>"Oh. Well, Gracie, Mommy just went to get a soda, that's all."

Grace grabbed her necklace, and she let out a sigh.

"Don't do that, sweetie. Thanks for stopping by, Mike."  
>"You're welcome."<br>"Thank you for cleaning out the car."  
>"You're welcome."<br>"Thank you for purposefully messing up your apartment so Alice would get distracted and not come visit us."  
>"You can thank Jess for that. How have you been?"<br>"Pretty good. These girls keep me and Steven pretty busy."  
>"Jessica wants to babysit."<p>

She took a sip of her drink.

"Yeah, I know. I'll let her once the twins reliably take a bottle, but I can't before then..."  
>"She understands."<br>"I know. I just feel bad 'cause I know she wants to babysit and I wish she could, but in about a month she should be able to."  
>"You think so?"<br>"Yeah. Steven and I are gonna start them on bottles when they reach one month, aren't we, little Grace?"

She was rooting at her breast, and she shot Mike an apologetic look.

"I think they want to be fed. I understand if it makes you uncomfortable."

He shrugged.

"I just won't look."  
>"Okay. Can I have Audrey?"<br>"Sure. Here you go."

She was wearing a zip up sweatshirt that mostly covered everything, so she nursed both the twins without feeling too self-conscious. She knew that they needed to eat, and she knew that was really all that mattered. Besides, she was so confused about Mike and Jessica. Were they dating? Were they just friends? Did Alice still think they were married?

"What is going on with you and Jess?"  
>"What do you mean?"<br>"Are you two dating again?"

He sighed.

"Sort of. It's just a casual thing for now-that's what we want-but yeah. We've gone out a few times."  
>"Are you happy?"<br>"Yeah. I mean, I just wish our relationship had worked out last time, you know. I'd have been happy to have just dated her-we didn't have to get married."  
>"I imagine Steven and Elizabeth didn't help either?"<br>"No, but Steven's apologized for that numerous times, and, well..."  
>"Elizabeth is hopefully returning to Denver quite soon!"<br>"Exactly. Sorry she hasn't been very nice to you."  
>"It's okay. I can deal with it."<br>"Apparently Mr. Wakefield is coming home soon."  
>"Oh, joy. I can hardly wait."<p>

She burped both of the twins, fixing herself up. (Her milk still had this habit of leaking all over the place!)

"Can I hold Grace?"  
>"Of course, Mike. Come on, Gracie, let's go see Uncle Mikey."<br>"Are Todd and Tom their uncles too?"  
>"Todd and Tom are quite frankly quite disgusting. You and Jessica at least live together and your our friend so that's why you're Uncle Mikey."<br>"Thanks."  
>"You're welcome. Besides, the twins seem to like you."<p>

She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"You think so?"  
>"Yeah. Babies are good judges of character."<p> 


	23. Chapter 23

"Your parents want to come for Christmas?"  
>"Yes. It's the earliest they can come to see the twins."<br>"I'll behave! I promise! I'll ignore Liz! I will!"  
>"I believe you, Jess. It will be okay. Did your brother tell you he wants to play Santa for the the twins? He wants to dress in the suit and everything."<br>"He does?"  
>"Yeah. He wants to start a tradition with them."<br>"Aww. He's so good with them! Where are they?"  
>"They're at home. Steven's giving them a bottle of milk. We're starting them off at a bottle or two a day. They've been good with it so far."<br>"Really?"  
>"Yeah. They seem to like having their daddy feed them for a change."<br>"Are you upset?"  
>"No, I'm fine. I'm just a bit emotional, 'cause it means they're growing up."<br>"Oh, Billie, they're only a month old. Don't worry."  
>"I know. And your brother is so happy he finally gets to feed them."<br>"And we got to get a manicure. See? It's not all bad."  
>"I know. I just miss them."<br>"I know. You're their mommy. They miss you too. Tell you what, after our nails dry we can go home."  
>"No, I have to start looking for Santa's presents. If you don't mind."<br>"Okay. I like your nails. I should have done the crackle too."  
>"Yours look nice-very elegant-perfect for a Theta."<br>"Thanks, Billie."  
>"You're welcome."<p>

Jessica had insisted on taking Billie with her to get a manicure done. She'd desperately needed one, and she knew her sister-in-law needed a bit of pampering-she'd been glad to treat her. She'd actually been surprised that she'd said yes. And she was also surprised that she'd left the twins with Steven-well, not really, but she knew that they both were quite protective of their daughters.

"Thanks for coming."  
>"Thanks for inviting me. You were right, I did need a little break. It feels good to do something without the twins, you know? Not that I mind them, not at all, they're my babies, but it feels nice."<br>"I could always babysit if you two wanted to go on a date."  
>"I know. Why don't we try to see if they'll take a bottle from you, okay? And then I'll take you up on that offer."<p>

She beamed: Billie trusted her to watch the twins! She was actually being seen as responsible!

"Thanks, Billie. I can't wait."

Her sister-in-law looked thoughtful.

"Maybe you could even sit the twins in your apartment, if you get my drift. Two more weeks."  
>"Until what?"<br>"Oh, you know."  
>"No, I don't."<br>"Until I can, you know, do it again. Sorry for being blunt."  
>"Oh. Oh. Oh! Why can't you now?"<br>"You have to wait 6 weeks so they can make sure you're all healed at your checkup. It sucks."  
>"I'm sorry."<p>

She did feel bad for her, even though she did sleep with her older brother. She knew what it felt like to not sleep with your (in her case, ex) husband, even if you wanted to, and she had a feeling it would be doubly hard for her brother and sister-in-law since they had twins. She smiled at her sister-in-law, giving her a bear hug-relieved that she wasn't hurting her. She spoke, having decided that she'd help with whatever she could.

"If you need me to take the twins while the two of you, you know, do stuff, I will. Just as long as you don't give me details!"  
>"Oh, you mean you don't want to know what sex after pregnancy is like?"<p>

She gave her a wicked grin, bursting into laughter.

"I-"  
>"Don't worry, honey, I know. I won't give you any nasty details."<p>

The worrying thing was that she kind of wanted some details. Not explicit ones, of course, but she still wanted to know what it would be like and Billie was her only friend that had had babies!

"Okay."

She'd chickened out.

"Come on, let's go to Toys R Us. I want to get the twins some stuff."

They'd been shopping for awhile, and Jessica's eyes lit up as she saw a pink and purple activity mat. She wanted to get it for them.

"Oh, Billie, can't I?"  
>"Sure. That would be a nice gift for them from their auntie. Thank you for being so generous."<br>"You're welcome. They're my nieces. I love them. Nothing is too much."

She looked in their carriage, which was filled with tons of baby things. She'd never known that they could get so many different things for babies-even though she was an aunt, the thought of most of the stuff on sale hadn't even occurred to her. Who knew that babies needed special teethers? (She was quite glad she'd talked Lila into getting Billie the double stroller instead of a Tiffany rattle-there were so many cute plastic ones there at the store!)

"Billie are they teething already?"  
>"No, honey, not yet. In a few more months."<br>"Oh, okay. I don't want them to be in pain."  
>"I know. Me either. They're smiling now-real smiles."<br>"They are?"  
>"Yeah. It's so cute."<br>"Do you have a picture?"  
>"Yeah. Here you go."<p>

She took her phone, looking at the grins the twins gave the camera. They looked like they were giggling at something her brother had done.

"They're really cute, Billie."  
>"Thanks. Tell you what. We can go back to the apartment soon and your nieces can show you how they play with some of their toys."<br>"I'd really like that."

***

"The first Noel, the angel did say, Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay; In fields where they lay keeping their sheep, On a cold winter's night that was so deep. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel."

Billie noticed that Steven was already in the holiday spirit, and she assumed this by the fact that he was joyfully caroling to their daughters, both of whom were enjoying their concert. She and Jessica entered the apartment as silently as possible, and no one noticed their presence for a few minutes. She let out a happy sigh, and he turned to face them.

"Babe! When did you get back?"  
>"A few minutes ago. Jess and I helped get Santa started, by the way. The bags are in the twins' room."<br>"Oh, thanks. They loved the bottle, but I think they like to nurse more. They kept looking around for you."  
>"I'm sorry."<br>"Oh, it's okay. I read them a story and they fell asleep for a bit. Together. On me. It was great."

She grinned, happy her husband was so into and in love with their twins. She sat on the couch beside them, giving him a kiss on the lips. Two more weeks, she reminded herself. She wanted to sleep with him that night, but she didn't want to chance anything. Besides, the twins being in the bed with them sort of helped kill most of the mood.

"Come here, Gracie. Do you wanna show Auntie Jess how you play with your rattle?"

The rattle, which had been lying next to her daughter, eagerly got gripped with her chubby fists. It made a noise when she moved it, and she looked at her sister-in-law, who was watching intently.

"Wow."  
>"You think it's cool, Jess?"<br>"Yeah. She knows how to use a rattle."  
>"They both do. But Audrey looks a little sleepy right now. Can I hold her?"<p>

She didn't want to interrupt him bonding with their girls, after all.

"Yeah. Of course. Let me give her to you."

He handed Audrey to her. She smiled at her baby girl and got a sleepy smile in return, before she took her finger and shoved it in her mouth. The twins did that often. The sucking was a comfort to them, and it didn't hurt her at the moment-though once they got teeth it certainly would.

"Your nails-"  
>"It's okay. The polish won't come off. It's non-toxic, anyways. Besides, she's just using me as a tool to fall asleep. See?"<p>

Indeed, the baby had fallen soundly to sleep, making content sucking motions on her finger.

"Wow. How'd you do that?"  
>"Oh, Jess. She was already falling asleep on the couch. I just snuggled her to help her fall asleep quicker, that's all."<br>"You're the bestest mom ever."  
>"Thanks, honey. Why don't you hold Grace and try to get her to fall asleep?"<p>

She knew it would work, as the twins tended to have eerily similar schedules. Steven got Grace settled in Jessica's arms, and she took her finger in her hands and shoved it in her mouth, shutting her eyes contently.

She'd missed them, but it had been good to be out for a bit.


	24. Chapter 24

_"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree-"_  
>"I think Christmas with your family will be more like the twelve pains of Christmas, honey."<br>_"The first thing of Christmas, that's such a pain to me, is finding a Christmas tree-"_  
>"Now, you remember the deal, right?"<br>"I can sing to the twins and on the way to Mom's but I really shouldn't prolong the annoying carols of the season?"  
>"Exactly."<br>"Okay, babe. I love you."  
>"I love you too. Now do you think we should start wrapping the twins' presents? I know you're doing the Santa thing but I'd like them to have some to open up anyways."<br>"That's fine with me."  
>"Good. God, I can't believe it's been a year since last Christmas-what a disaster that was. Jessica trying to hide her marriage, Mike re-proposing to her, you hiding your arrest, Tom nearly destroying your mother's dishes-this year's bound to be better."<br>"Yeah. It will be. I know it will be. Because we have each other and we have our twins."

Billie gave Steven a kiss on the lips, letting him pull her close. She wished she could share his optimism. Unfortunately, she didn't quite think it worked like that. It would be too much to have a normal Christmas for the Wakefields. The first Christmas they'd been together, Steven's sister's had nearly been murdered by this girl, Margo Black, who vaguely resembled them. The second Christmas they'd been together, Billie had blissfully (she hated to say it) spent with her parents back in Texas-Steven's mother apparently decided it was appropriate to have a nervous breakdown after the meal. And, well, last Christmas-it was best to not go there. At all. Ever again. It had been the worst Christmas ever, though she'd snuck in with Steven on Christmas Eve and got a cuddle. So, while it was a nice and ever so pleasant thought that this Christmas would be better, she really somehow doubted it.

"My parents are coming up..."  
>"So? They wanna see the twins, that's all. My parents will behave and so will Jessica."<br>"That's not who I'm worried about. It's Elizabeth. You know she doesn't like me."  
>"She'll behave. I think."<p>

They kissed again-Jessica and Mike had taken the twins to the park-she'd told them they couldn't really do much yet, but her sister-in-law had insisted-and she held him close. She was feeling comfortable in her body again. She wasn't as thin as she'd been pre-pregnancy, but she didn't mind her new curves. Steven loved them too-she finally felt comfortable in her own body. To make matters even better for them, the doctor had cleared her for sex at her appointment that morning. She was really too busy to think about doing it, but at least the option was there.

"I hope so."  
>"Why don't we start wrapping?"<br>"Okay. Do you think the twins are having fun with Jess and Mike?"  
>"Yeah. Don't worry about it, babe. They're fine."<p>

Sometimes, she needed him to be the rational one. The twins tended to cause these times, and she couldn't help it.

"Okay. I believe you. Steven?"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Who taught you how to wrap presents?"

She looked dubiously at the present he'd wrapped, noticing that it was a square box that, due to his wrapping skills, now looked sort of round. She took it from him, giggling.

"I taught myself!"  
>"When, Steven, when?"<br>"When Jess and Liz were born."  
>"Oh, honey. See, when you were two, this was cute. Now, I feel I should teach you how to properly wrap a gift."<br>"Okay. I learn best when you sit on my lap."

She smiled at him, shaking her head.

"No you don't! You just like me to sit on your lap!"  
>"Isn't learning supposed to be enjoyable?"<br>"Well, fine. Since you're a good husband, I'll sit on your lap."

She settled on his lap, unwrapping the gift he'd attempted to-she had a feeling she'd discovered why she never had enough wrapping paper-and she cut a fresh sheet of paper, wrapping the gift effortlessly.

"How'd you do that?"

She decided to take pity on him, and she handed him the bag of stick on bows.

"Here. I'll wrap and you can stick the bows on the gifts."  
>"Really?"<br>"Yeah. Please. It's better this way."  
>"That's not very nice!"<p>

However, doing it her way they were done in only twenty minutes. She felt satisfied that she'd finally completed something that, let's face it, had a deadline, and she snuggled with him, pressing against him for a kiss.

"Let's go take a walk."

***

"Steven, I hate to ask, is that Elizabeth?"

Steven followed when Billie was pointing to, and saw a blonde teenage girl wearing a leather miniskirt, a cropped top, and ridiculous looking boots. A familiar looking blonde girl. One that, yes, he was related to. He sighed.

"Yep."  
>"What is she wearing?"<br>"I don't want to know."  
>"Oh, God. She looks like a whore!"<p>

His wife, his beautiful sexy wife who was wearing a miniskirt and a blouse that showed of her cleavage, had a point. Elizabeth did look rather...provocative. At least Billie was only wearing the blouse because it made breastfeeding the twins easier-and she looked appropriate! He felt that he'd need to have a brotherly lecture over the break with his middle sister, and he really didn't want to. Perhaps, his mother-no, that wouldn't work. She was still confused as to why his father had returned home from his months long business trip. Mrs. Wilkins-no, she and Elizabeth barely spoke. Mrs. Howell-no, the sex talk had been enough. He honestly didn't know what to do.

"Is that skirt supposed to be that short?"  
>"I highly doubt it, Steven."<br>"Why is she dressed like that?"  
>"Why is she making out with both Tom and Todd is what I want to know!"<p>

They both exchanged horrified looks, and he made a mental note to deal with this.

"I think we should just go home."  
>"Me too, honey, me too."<br>"You want me to carry you?"

She nodded, a light blush coloring her cheeks, and he picked her up easily. He carried her home, glad they hadn't been spotted.

"Look, they're back. The twins and Jess and Mike. They're waiting for the elevator."  
>"Wanna go catch up to them?"<br>"Yeah."

They made it to the elevator just in time. He put Billie down and she made a beeline for the stroller.

"Hi, girlies. Did you two have fun at the park?"

The twins cooed happily at her, and she beamed. She stood, holding hands with him as they walked back to the apartment.

"How was the park, Jess?"  
>"It was great! We fed the ducks and everything! The twins drank their bottles and Mike and I changed their diapers-I did try to, Steven!"<br>"I know, Jess. You did a good job. Here-"

He reached for his wallet, but his kid sister stopped him.

"I don't mind taking them to the park-you don't need to pay me. Just when you go out for awhile, okay?"

That seemed like a fair compromise. He nodded. He picked up Gracie, who cooed happily at him.

"Hey, little girl. You see the duckies with your Auntie and Uncle? And you got a bottle?"

She cooed in response, and he grinned. They sat next to Billie and Audrey.

"We need to talk about Christmas. You know that Billie's parents are coming up for the week to see the twins and you know that we're all apparently staying with Mom and Dad and well we all know about Elizabeth-"  
>"I'll behave, Steven. I promise."<br>"I know you will. Look, we just all have to behave. Especially Gracie and Audrey, right, girlies?"

The babies cooed, and he grinned at them.


	25. Chapter 25

"I'm so glad I'm finally done with finals. How about you, Jess?"  
>"I don't want to go back to Sweet Valley."<br>"I know. I don't either."  
>"You don't? But your parents are coming up to see Grace and Audrey!"<br>"I know. And your family drives them nuts."  
>"Why don't they stay at a hotel?"<br>"I dunno. They were gonna but your mom told them they'd see the twins more if they stayed at her house."  
>"Oh. But I bet the twins would have liked going to the Valley Lodge. It's got a nice swimming pool and it's Elizabeth free."<p>

Jessica put her backpack in Billie's car, next to the twins' car seats. She was going to miss being in class with her sister-in-law. Billie had gotten enough credits to graduate with her final semester off, which was good for her and the twins, but she still felt sad. She'd liked being in class with her.

"What's wrong?"  
>"Nothing."<br>"You're lying. What's the matter?"  
>"You'll think it's stupid."<br>"No I won't. Honey, I got teary eyed at a dog food commercial the other day! I won't think it's stupid!"  
>"It's just that I'm gonna miss being in class with you and the twins. That's all."<br>"Oh, honey, me too."  
>"Really?"<br>"Yeah. I had a nice time."  
>"Can we still have lunch together and stuff?"<br>"Of course. I'd like that a lot. Just 'cause I won't be at SVU anymore doesn't mean you're not my sister-in-law."  
>"I know. I'm sorry I got like this."<p>

Her sister-in-law hugged her tightly.

"Aww, Jess, it's okay. Come on, why don't we go get something to eat? The four of us: me, you, and the twins."  
>"That would be nice. Can we go to the Dairi Burger?"<br>"Sure. That's where your brother and I went on our first date."

She wrinkled her nose. _The Dairi Burger? Who took their girlfriend on a date there?_

"It was?"  
>"Well, we weren't really dating then but there was some flirting going on. He was very sweet."<br>"Steven? Sweet? I don't believe you!"

She grinned, teasing her, and they got into the car. The twins were playing happily with their rattles, and she was happy they liked their toys. She really loved being an aunt, she really did.

"It's true! He's quite sweet!"  
>"I know. I'm just making fun of the two of you."<br>"I know. We are a bit soppy, aren't we?"

She found it sort of refreshing, and, well, once one sees her identical twin wearing all leather and making out with two guys at once, one tends to not mind her brother and his wife being sort of touchy feely and...normal. Blissfully normal.

"No, you're in love. Just try to keep my nieces at just two, for a while, okay?"  
>"Don't worry. I've gone and gotten an IUD-I don't want to risk it."<br>"Good. You should just focus on loving up the twins."  
>"I know. Maybe once they're a couple years old...but not any sooner."<br>"You are a good mom, though."  
>"I know. Thanks, Jess."<p>

They drove along, listening to the radio, and before she knew it, they'd arrived in front of the Dairi Burger. The twins were looking around in curiosity, and she grinned at her little nieces in the rearview mirror. They'd grown so much since they were born-both size wise and development wise. She loved them. They didn't sleep through everything, like they'd done for their first month, but usually were content to quietly play with themselves. Like earlier during the final. She'd finished early and watched them eagerly sucking on their fingers, looking completely entertained. And they liked to babble at people if they spoke to them, which had surprised her at first but made her so happy when they did it with her.

"Can I take Audrey out of the car and carry her in?"  
>"Sure, honey. That's a big help. Audrey, sweetie, Auntie Jess is gonna bring you in while Mommy takes Gracie."<p>

Audrey smiled, drooling slightly, as she picked up her car seat. She tickled her belly with her fingers, getting a happy coo and an even wider grin.

"You're a good baby, Audrey. A very good baby. You and your sister both."

They were seated quickly, the hostess doing a double take at her sister-in-law and the identical twins, and they both placed their orders. The booth they sat at was curved, so the twins were in the middle, with her and Billie on either side, and they seemed content to sit in their car seats next to one another. The food came quickly, and she realized she was starving.

"Sorry, I shouldn't be eating so-"  
>"It's okay, honey. You're hungry. I should probably eat before the twins start fussing. I'm gonna feed them here."<br>"You are?"  
>"Yeah."<p>

She didn't know if she'd be able to work up the courage to breastfeed in a crowded restaurant-she really admired her sister-in-law.

***

_"On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, three french hens, two turtledoves, and a partridge in a pear tree..."_  
>"You're eternally hopeful, aren't you?"<br>_"The third thing at Christmas, that's such a pain to me, hangovers, rigging up the lights, and finding a Christmas tree..."_  
>"That's better, dear. You know your family is going to be horrible, with the exception of Jessica."<br>"Aw, it won't be that bad!"  
>"Steven. It's your family. Yes, it will be. You know how they get."<br>"Well..."  
>"Your sister is being impossible! She's dressing and behaving like a trollop! I saw her again-she was wearing a lace nightie-as a dress! In public! She was doing nasty things to a blowpop!"<br>"What?"  
>"Oh, you know, trying to be all coy and flirty! You should have seen her and Todd! They were being indecent! At the beach! And then Tom showed up!"<p>

Billie shuddered. There had been things she could not un-see at the beach that afternoon. Things that Steven didn't need to know about.

"And?"  
>"They were doing things! Unmentionable things!"<br>"Oh. My."  
>"Yes, the poor twins-I bolted-I don't think they were amused by how fast the stroller went when I ran!"<p>

However, at the moment, they were sound asleep on his chest, and that made her so happy. She took a picture of them, setting it as her background, and she sank down on the couch next to them.

"Sorry about that, babe."  
>"It's okay. We had a nice walk before I saw them. Obviously it tired them out!"<br>"Yeah, I know. The twins are sound asleep on me."

She kissed him on the cheek, rubbing both Grace and Audrey's backs, and she snuggled up to him. She wasn't tired, far from it, she just wanted to be comfortable and close to him. Besides, he smelled good.

"They had a long day. Jess and I took them out to lunch too."  
>"Did you have fun?"<br>"Yeah. It was nice."  
>"That's good. I'm glad you had fun."<p>

She felt him trace circles on her back, and she let out a happy sigh. This was nice.

Had she planned to get pregnant? No, of course not, but sometimes those things happen. Had she been scared when she found out she was having twins? Yes, of course she'd been. But was she happy? Yes, she was.

"Me too. I'm glad I'll be able to stay home with the twins next semester, though. I wanna be a stay at home mommy."  
>"I know you do."<br>"Thanks for letting me."  
>"You're welcome. Come here, give me another kiss."<p>

She did, only pulling away from him when she heard a soft whimper. Grace had awoken, and she looked hungry.

"Can I feed her?"  
>"Course. She probably wants the boobie."<br>"Okay. Hey, Gracie, you thirsty? You want Mommy's breast milk right from the source?"

The baby's whimpers lessened and she cradled her, offering her her breast. She started to nurse immediately, and she clenched her finger in one of her fists. The twins had both gotten interested in grabbing people's fingers lately-she thought it was so cute.

"You're beautiful."  
>"I am?"<br>"Yeah. You are."  
>"Thanks."<p>

He grinned at her, shifting Audrey to his other shoulder.

"I'm glad we have the twins, babe."  
>"Me too."<p>

They kissed again, as best they could with each of them holding a baby, and she smiled.


	26. Chapter 26

"Give Daddy a kiss. Come give Daddy a kiss."  
>"Honey, I don't think they can give kisses yet!"<br>"I wanna see if they can try!"  
>"Well, okay."<p>

Steven was unpleasantly surprised when Prince Albert decided that he deserved a lick on the face.

"Prince Albert, not from you! I meant from the twins!"  
>"Oh, but the dog likes to give kisses. it's not his fault. Come on, honey, just let them play in their swings while we finish packing."<br>"Aw..."  
>"I know, I know, but at least they're being entertained and not crying. Now, come on. We need to get ourselves packed for the week in Sweet Valley. I've already packed the twins up."<br>"...Fine..."

He stood, more than a bit annoyed that they had to spend an entire week with his parents, her parents, both sets of twins, Mike, Tom, and Prince Albert-all jammed into Calico Drive. He was certain it would be sheer misery. His mother had even mailed them a schedule! A schedule! He didn't think that the Winklers wanted to be paraded around Sweet Valley-they'd been there before! Nor did he really want to bring Grace and Audrey to midnight Mass-they were two months old, almost two and a half, they didn't want to sit through a boring church service! He knew that it was to impress the Winklers-who weren't even Catholic! They were Baptist!

"I know you don't want to go, honey, and quite frankly, I don't blame you. But maybe things will be okay. I heard Jessica say Kelly, Robin, and Stacey were coming up."  
>"What?"<br>"On Christmas day."

Oh, God, no. The Winklers. His cousins and aunts. Tom and Todd. Elizabeth. This was a disaster.

"That'll be interesting."  
>"Honey, I'm sure everything will be fine. Come here, give me a kiss."<p>

He gave her her kiss, pulling her close to him. They'd made love that morning, while the twins had been sound asleep, and he'd, well, missed her. He'd tried to be gentle, as much as he'd possibly could, and she'd seemed satisfied.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"  
>"Oh, this morning? Honey, no. You were perfect."<br>"I was?"  
>"Well, you could have been less gentle. That would have been nice."<p>

She kissed him again, and he went to work packing.

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."  
>"You don't have to treat me like I'm made of glass just cause I had the twins two months ago. I'm fine."<br>"I'll remember that, next time."

He hoped there would be a next time. He wanted there to be a next time. He didn't want to be one of those couples who stopped having sex completely after having kids-that would certainly put her IUD to waste! Especially since she was so beautiful. She abandoned her packing and walked over to him, kissing him on the lips.

"You're getting distracted, Steven."  
>"Sorry! Can't we just stay here?"<br>"I wish we could. But we have to go, you know that."

He sighed. Why did he have to be the responsible, respectful, child? Why did he have to attend every little family event to maintain the charade that they were happy and still a family? Why couldn't the twins pretend to get along? Why did his mother have to be nuts? Why did poor Billie's parents have to visit? All of these questions, and he didn't have a single answer.

"I know."  
>"Hey, cheer up. At least we get to share a bedroom this time."<p>

That was true. Steven Wakefield was nothing but practical, after all, and impregnating and marrying Billie did indeed allow them to share his childhood bedroom.

"I know. Finally, the rule works in our favor."  
>"See? It's not all bad. Come on."<br>"It's just-"  
>"What?"<br>"Mom is nuts. Dad is oblivious."  
>"So? My parents will be distracted by Gracie and Audrey."<br>"I hope so."

She kissed him again.

"Come on. Let's finish packing and I'll feed the girls and we'll get on the road."


End file.
